Leonel

Meaning: Little lion
Origin: Greek — Spanish form of Lionel

Boy's name · #350 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

Popularity over time

Leonel is near its high-water mark: it reached #308 in 2023 and still ranked #350 in 2025. About 27,000 boys have carried it since 1910.

Across the states

See where Leonel is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 34 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Leonel ranks in other countries and regions.

#31 in Mexico (2024) · #121 in Ecuador (2025) · #280 in Sweden (2025) · #295 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #406 in Norway (2025) · #541 in Poland (2025) · #818 in Canada (2025) · #1,015 in Italy (2024) · #1,125 in Austria (2025) · #1,199 in Belgium (2025) · #2,340 in Switzerland (2025) · #2,664 in England & Wales (2025) and 2 more.

Famous Leonels

Leonel Fernández — President of the Dominican Republic (1996–2000; 2004–2012) (born 1953)
Leonel Sánchez — Chilean footballer (1936–2022)
Leonel Brizola — Brazilian politician (1922–2004)
Leonel Álvarez — Colombian football defensive midfielder (born 1965)
Leonel Manzano — Mexican-American middle-distance track and field athlete (born 1984)

In stories & tradition

Leonel Salamanca — Breaking Bad character

What Leonels become

Among 267 notable people named Leonel:

Sports figures appear 2.38× more often than among typical names — e.g. Leonel Sánchez, Chilean footballer (1936–2022).

Similar names: Lionel · Cruz · Leonidas · Maximiliano · Leonardo · Raphael

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

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