boy's name
Leonardo
lay-oh-NAR-doh
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 4
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 110,129
the United States
#91
2025 births
Leonardo is a boy's name of Germanic origin meaning "brave as a lion," from leo, lion, and hard, brave or hardy. It is the Italian and Spanish form of Leonard, and its most famous bearer needs no introduction.
- Leonardo is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 2019, when 4,433 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 875 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1885.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Leonardo over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1900s | 38 |
| 1910s | 256 |
| 1920s | 508 |
| 1930s | 427 |
| 1940s | 526 |
| 1950s | 879 |
| 1960s | 1,400 |
| 1970s | 2,472 |
| 1980s | 3,211 |
| 1990s | 7,324 |
| 2000s | 19,533 |
| 2010s | 35,261 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 24,367 |
What Leonardo means
Leonardo means lion-brave or strong as a lion, combining the Latin-derived leo with the Germanic hard. It is a hybrid: a Latin animal name joined to a Germanic quality word, which is unusual in name formation.
Where Leonardo comes from
Leonardo descends from the Germanic Leonhard, combining leo — itself borrowed into Germanic from the Latin for lion — with hard, meaning brave, hardy or strong. The hybrid formation reflects how thoroughly Latin vocabulary had entered Germanic naming by the early medieval period. The name spread through Europe with Saint Leonard of Noblac, a sixth-century Frankish hermit invoked for the release of prisoners. Its Italian form is inseparable from Leonardo da Vinci, born in 1452 in the Tuscan town of Vinci — his name means simply Leonardo of Vinci, since he had no surname in the modern sense.
Leonardo in use
Leonardo da Vinci had no surname — da Vinci simply means from the town of Vinci.
How popular is Leonardo?
In 2025, Leonardo was given to 3,789 babies in the United States, ranking #91 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Leonardo is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Leonardo is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Léonardo | Léonardo is Leonardo written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #1,496. | 270 |
Names that peaked alongside Leonardo
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Leonardo also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Leonardo over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Leonardo
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Leonardo in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Leonardo
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Leonardo — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Leonardo
What does the name Leonardo mean?
Leonardo means "brave as a lion," from leo, lion, and the Germanic hard, brave.
Is Leonardo the same as Leonard?
Yes. Leonardo is the Italian and Spanish form of the Germanic Leonhard.
Was da Vinci Leonardo's surname?
No. It means "from Vinci," the Tuscan town where he was born.
How popular is the name Leonardo?
In 2025, Leonardo was given to 3,789 babies in the United States, ranking #91 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Leonardo a girl's or a boy's name?
Leonardo is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Leonardo?
Leonardo has 4 syllables.
When was Leonardo most popular?
Leonardo peaked in 2019, when 4,433 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Leonardo?
Leonardo is usually shortened to Leo and Nardo.
Is Leonardo a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Leonardo currently ranks #91 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.