Boy name · Latin
Leo
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: a lionLeo is a boy's name that comes from Latin and means "a lion". It is used in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Scandinavian and more.
- Meaning
- A lion
- Origin
- Latin
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #19 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Leo
As a boy's name, Leo comes from Latin and means "a lion". It is used in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Scandinavian, Irish and French. In French it is spelled Léo.
In French, say lay-OH. In Italian, say LEH-oh. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Leo is also a surname: the 4,233rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 8,092 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Leo on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Leo on 14 lists.
“Confident, bright and full of courage”
From Nicknames for ChatGPT, human-sounding names for an AI assistant
“Latin for lion, for a brave golden boy”
From Boy dog names, popular boy dog names
“Lion; Latin. Brave and short”
From Boy middle names, strong boy middle names
“Latin for lion, for a small cat with a big roar”
From Cat names, popular cat names
“A lion; Latin. Fourteen popes, and a star sign”
From Classic boy names, traditional Latin and Greek boy names
“Latin for lion, chosen by fourteen popes, most recently in 2025”
From Priest names, papal names
“A lion; Latin, a small name with a big roar”
From Cute boy names, short and cute boy names
“A lion; Latin. No. 3 in France in 2025. Say lay-OH”
From French boy names, popular French boys' names right now
“Lion; Latin. Climbed to fourth place in Germany in 2025”
From German boy names, popular German boy names
“A lion; Latin. Say LEH-oh”
From Italian boy names, short Italian boy names
“Latin for lion, for a pup with a lion's heart”
From Taco Bell chihuahua name, boy chihuahua names
“A lion; Latin. Short, sunny and back in the US top 20”
From Old man names, grandpa names coming back for babies
“Lion; Latin. Borne by many popes since the 5th century”
From Roman names, roman names from animals and nature
“Lion; Latin. In Spain's 2024 top 10 (INE). Say LEH-oh”
From Spanish boy names, popular Spanish boy names in Spain (INE 2024)
How popular is Leo?
- US rank in 2025
- #19
- 8,173 babies, 4,785 per million boys
- Best rank
- #18 in 2023
- Most babies: 8,293 in 2022
- Babies since 1880
- At least 259,988
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 1,915 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 4,111 per million |
| 1900s | 4,146 per million |
| 1910s | 3,993 per million |
| 1920s | 3,354 per million |
| 1930s | 2,164 per million |
| 1940s | 1,139 per million |
| 1950s | 768 per million |
| 1960s | 493 per million |
| 1970s | 325 per million |
| 1980s | 246 per million |
| 1990s | 243 per million |
| 2000s | 615 per million |
| 2010s | 2,378 per million |
| 2020s | 4,582 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #74 | #62 | #50 | #40 | #36 | #31 | #22 | #18 | #24 | #19 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Leo
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
Names spelled like Leo
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LeeClearing, meadow (Old English, unisex)
- LeiThunder (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- LevLion, in Russian (Russian, boy)
- LeviJoined, attached (Hebrew, boy)
- LouFamous warrior (Germanic, unisex)
- LaloPet form of Eduardo (Spanish, boy)
- LeibLion (Yiddish, boy)
- LeifHeir, descendant (Old Norse, boy)
- LelloGod heals (Hebrew, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- ArielLion of God (Hebrew, boy)
- HaiderLion (Arabic, boy)
- AriA lion (Hebrew, boy)
- AriellaLion of God (Hebrew, girl)
- ArielleLion of God (Hebrew, girl)
- LeanderLion man (Greek, boy)
- LennartBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- LeonardBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- LeonidasSon of the lion (Greek, boy)
Middle names for Leo
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Latin
- MaxThe greatest (Latin, boy)
- AdrianFrom Hadria (Latin, boy)
- FelixLucky, happy (Latin, boy)
- MartinDedicated to Mars (Latin, boy)
- OliverOlive tree (Latin, boy)
- AugustExalted, venerable (Latin, boy)
- MagnusThe great (Latin, boy)
- MarcoOf Mars (Latin, boy)
- MarcusOf Mars (Latin, boy)
- PatrickNobleman, patrician (Latin, boy)
Leo: common questions
What does the name Leo mean?
Leo comes from Latin and means "a lion".
Is Leo a boy or girl name?
Leo is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 23 girls and 8,173 boys in the US were named Leo, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Leo come from?
Leo comes from Latin and means "a lion". Today it is used in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Scandinavian.
How popular is the name Leo?
Leo ranked #19 in the US in 2025, with 8,173 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Leo?
Forms of Leo with the same meaning and origin include León (Spanish) and Leone (Italian).
What middle names go with Leo?
Middle names that flow well with Leo include Cooper, Grayson, Henry, Howell and Peregrine. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.