Fun Facts About the Name Leonardo
- A newer favorite: Leonardo first entered the U.S. top 100 in 2016 and stayed there through 2025 - a run of 10 consecutive years.
- More than 96 thousand babies named Leonardo: U.S. records list 96,173 babies given the name Leonardo from 1880 through 2025. Even 141 girls received the name Leonardo - about 1 girl for every 681 boys.
What Does the Name Leonardo Mean?
Leonardo is the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of the Germanic name Leonhard. That name joins lewo or leon (lion) with hard (hardy, brave, strong). The literal sense is "lion-brave" or "strong as a lion," often given as "lion-hearted." The lion element entered Germanic from Latin leo. Medieval Latin wrote the name as Leonardus, the source of the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese Leonardo. English Leonard, French Léonard, and German Leonhard come from the same Germanic name.
Leonardo Name History & Origins
The name descends from the Germanic personal name Leonhard. Devotion to Saint Leonard, a Frankish hermit who died around 559 and was venerated as a patron of prisoners, helped spread the name in medieval Europe. Latin records used Leonardus, and from that form came the Romance-language Leonardo. In Italy, the name appears in medieval records; one early well-known bearer was Leonardo Pisano, the mathematician called Fibonacci (c. 1170 - c. 1250). The name is also widely known through Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519). In Spain and Portugal, Leonardo developed as the local form of the same Latinized name, and it was carried to Latin America, where it remains in use.
How Popular is the Name Leonardo?
Leonardo recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2019. Leonardo entered the top 100 U.S. boy names in 2016.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #14,571 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #14,824 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #18,006 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #18,078 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,906 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #14,340 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #19,257 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #13,851 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #10,366 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #17,007 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #11,590 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,346 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #15,798 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #15,500 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #12,744 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #7,312 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #12,402 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #14,243 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #12,376 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #11,958 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #8,764 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #9,877 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #91 | 3,789 | 0.2218% |
| 2024 | #84 | 3,951 | 0.2303% |
| 2023 | #84 | 4,028 | 0.2358% |
| 2022 | #75 | 4,364 | 0.2502% |
| 2021 | #87 | 4,104 | 0.2348% |
| 2020 | #86 | 4,102 | 0.2378% |
| 2019 | #86 | 4,425 | 0.2467% |
| 2018 | #93 | 4,221 | 0.2325% |
| 2017 | #97 | 4,131 | 0.2233% |
| 2016 | #96 | 4,325 | 0.2280% |
| 2015 | #103 | 3,821 | 0.1994% |
| 2014 | #114 | 3,450 | 0.1796% |
| 2013 | #131 | 2,909 | 0.1538% |
| 2012 | #152 | 2,684 | 0.1415% |
| 2011 | #149 | 2,641 | 0.1391% |
| 2010 | #150 | 2,616 | 0.1364% |
| 2009 | #164 | 2,367 | 0.1193% |
| 2008 | #168 | 2,346 | 0.1150% |
| 2007 | #164 | 2,527 | 0.1218% |
| 2006 | #183 | 2,187 | 0.1064% |
| 2005 | #186 | 2,145 | 0.1074% |
| 2004 | #195 | 1,963 | 0.0989% |
| 2003 | #211 | 1,708 | 0.0865% |
| 2002 | #230 | 1,460 | 0.0752% |
| 2001 | #234 | 1,453 | 0.0748% |
| 2000 | #253 | 1,331 | 0.0678% |
| 1999 | #255 | 1,231 | 0.0641% |
| 1998 | #257 | 1,160 | 0.0607% |
| 1997 | #357 | 707 | 0.0375% |
| 1996 | #401 | 585 | 0.0309% |
| 1995 | #402 | 570 | 0.0299% |
| 1994 | #378 | 621 | 0.0321% |
| 1993 | #368 | 643 | 0.0328% |
| 1992 | #381 | 601 | 0.0301% |
| 1991 | #374 | 612 | 0.0303% |
| 1990 | #415 | 555 | 0.0270% |
| 1989 | #478 | 398 | 0.0199% |
| 1988 | #486 | 356 | 0.0186% |
| 1987 | #498 | 320 | 0.0171% |
| 1986 | #498 | 310 | 0.0168% |
| 1985 | #502 | 301 | 0.0163% |
| 1984 | #489 | 295 | 0.0163% |
| 1983 | #515 | 266 | 0.0148% |
| 1982 | #481 | 314 | 0.0173% |
| 1981 | #493 | 290 | 0.0162% |
| 1980 | #450 | 344 | 0.0193% |
| 1979 | #501 | 277 | 0.0161% |
| 1978 | #529 | 243 | 0.0148% |
| 1977 | #513 | 256 | 0.0156% |
| 1976 | #505 | 254 | 0.0162% |
| 1975 | #481 | 277 | 0.0177% |
| 1974 | #488 | 268 | 0.0170% |
| 1973 | #525 | 223 | 0.0143% |
| 1972 | #500 | 249 | 0.0154% |
| 1971 | #540 | 221 | 0.0125% |
| 1970 | #573 | 198 | 0.0107% |
| 1969 | #632 | 157 | 0.0088% |
| 1968 | #632 | 144 | 0.0083% |
| 1967 | #609 | 152 | 0.0087% |
| 1966 | #590 | 162 | 0.0091% |
| 1965 | #668 | 124 | 0.0067% |
| 1964 | #680 | 129 | 0.0065% |
| 1963 | #669 | 137 | 0.0067% |
| 1962 | #652 | 141 | 0.0068% |
| 1961 | #641 | 149 | 0.0070% |
| 1960 | #754 | 105 | 0.0049% |
| 1959 | #697 | 122 | 0.0057% |
| 1958 | #725 | 106 | 0.0050% |
| 1957 | #792 | 90 | 0.0042% |
| 1956 | #814 | 85 | 0.0040% |
| 1955 | #788 | 86 | 0.0042% |
| 1954 | #737 | 96 | 0.0047% |
| 1953 | #792 | 82 | 0.0042% |
| 1952 | #779 | 82 | 0.0042% |
| 1951 | #876 | 64 | 0.0034% |
| 1950 | #842 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 1949 | #860 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 1948 | #939 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1947 | #991 | 52 | 0.0028% |
| 1946 | #809 | 67 | 0.0041% |
| 1945 | #791 | 61 | 0.0045% |
| 1944 | #837 | 57 | 0.0042% |
| 1943 | #974 | 48 | 0.0034% |
| 1942 | #1,069 | 41 | 0.0030% |
| 1941 | #997 | 42 | 0.0034% |
| 1940 | #1,040 | 39 | 0.0034% |
| 1939 | #1,023 | 39 | 0.0035% |
| 1938 | #1,055 | 38 | 0.0034% |
| 1937 | #1,113 | 35 | 0.0033% |
| 1936 | #1,080 | 36 | 0.0035% |
| 1935 | #808 | 59 | 0.0057% |
| 1934 | #892 | 50 | 0.0048% |
| 1933 | #955 | 44 | 0.0044% |
| 1932 | #1,018 | 43 | 0.0041% |
| 1931 | #1,054 | 41 | 0.0039% |
| 1930 | #1,077 | 42 | 0.0038% |
| 1929 | #865 | 59 | 0.0055% |
| 1928 | #971 | 50 | 0.0045% |
| 1927 | #861 | 62 | 0.0055% |
| 1926 | #867 | 60 | 0.0054% |
| 1925 | #1,112 | 40 | 0.0036% |
| 1924 | #1,028 | 48 | 0.0042% |
| 1923 | #1,018 | 48 | 0.0044% |
| 1922 | #1,052 | 45 | 0.0041% |
| 1921 | #1,063 | 44 | 0.0040% |
| 1920 | #962 | 52 | 0.0049% |
| 1919 | #1,112 | 39 | 0.0040% |
| 1918 | #1,087 | 40 | 0.0039% |
| 1917 | #1,057 | 40 | 0.0043% |
| 1916 | #1,360 | 26 | 0.0029% |
| 1915 | #1,392 | 24 | 0.0028% |
| 1914 | #1,009 | 31 | 0.0047% |
| 1913 | #1,292 | 17 | 0.0033% |
| 1912 | #1,321 | 14 | 0.0033% |
| 1911 | #958 | 13 | 0.0058% |
| 1910 | #965 | 12 | 0.0062% |
| 1909 | #874 | 12 | 0.0073% |
| 1908 | #1,513 | 5 | 0.0032% |
| 1907 | #1,154 | 7 | 0.0048% |
| 1905 | #973 | 8 | 0.0060% |
| 1902 | #1,090 | 6 | 0.0049% |
| 1885 | #1,024 | 5 | 0.0046% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
