boy's name
Lionel
LY-uh-nel
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 128,116
the United States
#659
2025 births
Lionel means little lion, and it entered English through Arthurian romance — Sir Lionel is a knight of the Round Table, and the name was rare before the stories carried it. We record 126,743 lifetime births for it, strongest in the United States.
- Lionel is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1971, when 4,040 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 19,650 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lionel over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 325 |
| 1910s | 405 |
| 1920s | 1,490 |
| 1930s | 2,475 |
| 1940s | 5,520 |
| 1950s | 13,820 |
| 1960s | 22,130 |
| 1970s | 27,725 |
| 1980s | 13,855 |
| 1990s | 3,115 |
| 2000s | 875 |
| 2010s | 510 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 230 |
What Lionel means
Lionel means little lion, or lion cub. The French diminutive of lion is affectionate rather than diminishing, in the way most medieval pet forms were.
Where Lionel comes from
Lionel is a French diminutive of lion, from the Latin leo — a name that reached Latin from Greek and ultimately from a Semitic source. It came into English through the Arthurian cycle, where Sir Lionel is a knight and the brother of Bors, and it was carried by Lionel of Antwerp, a son of Edward III, which fixed it as an aristocratic English name. The lion is the standard heraldic beast of English royalty, so the name and the emblem reinforced each other.
Lionel in use
Lionel peaked in France in 1971, when 4,040 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 659th in the United States on 419 births, 1220th in England and Wales on 24 and 1223rd in France on 30 — England and France within three places of each other — across 128,116 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Lionel?
In 2025, Lionel was given to 30 babies in France. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lionel is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Lionel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lionel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lionel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lionel
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.
Lionel 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 Lionel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lionel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lionel
What does the name Lionel mean?
Little lion — a French diminutive of lion, from the Latin leo.
Is Lionel an Arthurian name?
It entered English through the Arthurian cycle, where Sir Lionel is a knight and the brother of Bors.
Is Lionel related to Leona?
Yes, both descend from the Latin leo.
How popular is Lionel?
659th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Lionel a girl's or a boy's name?
Lionel is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lionel?
Lionel has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Lionel?
Lionel is usually shortened to Leo.
Is Lionel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lionel currently ranks #279 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.