Leonard

Meaning: Brave lion
Origin: Germanic

Nicknames: Len, Lenny

Boy's name · #637 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Leonard — on the books since 1880, #637 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 294,000 boys have carried the name since. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Leonard is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 32 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Leonard ranks in other countries and regions.

#48 in Poland (2025) · #106 in Austria (2025) · #117 in France (2025) · #170 in Canada (2025) · #173 in Switzerland (2025) · #173 in Norway (2025) · #214 in Slovenia (2025) · #226 in Sweden (2025) · #249 in England & Wales (2025) · #272 in Ireland (2025) · #344 in N. Ireland (2025) · #361 in Belgium (2025) and 9 more.

Famous Leonards

Leonard Cohen — Canadian singer-songwriter and poet (1934–2016)
Leonard Bernstein — American conductor and composer (1918–1990)
Leonard Nimoy — American actor (1931–2015)
Leonard Bloomfield — American linguist (1887–1949)
Leonard Susskind — American physicist (born 1940)
Leonard Woolley — British archaeologist (1880–1960)
Leonard Adleman — American computer scientist (born 1945)
Leonard Kleinrock — American computer scientist (born 1934)
Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse — British sociologist (1864–1929)

In stories & tradition

Leonard McCoy — Fictional character from Star Trek
Leonard Hofstadter — Fictional character in The Big Bang Theory
Leonard (Captain Cold) — Supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications and related media

What Leonards become

Among 2,602 notable people named Leonard:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.46× more often than among typical names — e.g. Leonard W. Hall, American lawyer and politician, United States Representative from New York (1900–1979).

Spellings & nicknames

About 130 boys a year are given Lenny as their full name.

Similar names: Leonardo · Alvin · Leon · Eddie · Bernard · Howard

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service