Boy name · Germanic
Leonard
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: brave lionLeonard is a boy's name that comes from Germanic and means "brave lion". It is used in English and German.
- Meaning
- Brave lion
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #637 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Leonard
As a boy's name, Leonard comes from Germanic and means "brave lion". It is used in English and German.
Leonard is also a surname: the 352nd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 86,736 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Leonard on our names that mean strong list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Leonard on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Leonard on 5 lists.
“Thoughtful and calm, for a dog who sits politely”
From Boy dog names, human names for boy dogs
“Lion and brave; Germanic, from Latin leo. Leo or Lenny for short”
From Classic boy names, traditional Latin and Greek boy names
“Brave lion; Germanic leon, lion, and hard, brave”
From Names that mean strong, names that mean brave
“Brave lion; Germanic. Len or Lenny for short”
From Old man names, old boy names from the 1900s to 1920s
“Brave lion; Germanic, a classic with a lion inside”
From Strong boy names, boy names that mean brave or bold
How popular is Leonard?
- US rank in 2025
- #637
- 438 babies, 256 per million boys
- Best rank
- #37 in 1923
- Most babies: 5,650 in 1921
- Babies since 1880
- At least 294,334
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 1,957 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 2,775 per million |
| 1900s | 3,699 per million |
| 1910s | 4,776 per million |
| 1920s | 4,882 per million |
| 1930s | 3,711 per million |
| 1940s | 2,975 per million |
| 1950s | 2,154 per million |
| 1960s | 1,476 per million |
| 1970s | 957 per million |
| 1980s | 567 per million |
| 1990s | 322 per million |
| 2000s | 196 per million |
| 2010s | 209 per million |
| 2020s | 236 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #599 | #605 | #636 | #616 | #635 | #650 | #707 | #693 | #671 | #637 |
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.
Nicknames for Leonard
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Leocommon English nickname
- Lencommon English nickname
- Lennycommon English nickname
Other forms of Leonard
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- LennartBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- LennyBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- LeonhardBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
Names spelled like Leonard
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LeonidSon of the lion (Greek, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- LeoA lion (Latin, boy)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- AndreaManly, brave (Greek, girl)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- ArielLion of God (Hebrew, boy)
- BahadurBrave, valiant (Turkic, boy)
- BernadetteBrave bear (Germanic, girl)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Leonard
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Germanic
- HugoHeart, mind (Germanic, boy)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- AlaricRuler of all (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- ArmandoArmy man (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoEagle (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoldEagle power (Germanic, boy)
Leonard: common questions
What does the name Leonard mean?
Leonard comes from Germanic and means "brave lion".
Is Leonard a boy or girl name?
Leonard is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Leonard?
Common nicknames for Leonard include Leo, Len and Lenny.
How popular is the name Leonard?
Leonard ranked #637 in the US in 2025, with 438 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Leonard?
Forms of Leonard with the same meaning and origin include Lennart (Scandinavian), Lenny (English), Leonardo (English) and Leonhard (German).
What middle names go with Leonard?
Middle names that flow well with Leonard include Ezra, Ford, Henry, Jonah and Jude. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.