NameChart

Leonard

Boy name

Leonard has been given to 295,746 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1921 and currently ranks #637 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ˈlɛnɚd/

From Old French Leonard, name of a 6th century Frankish saint, from Old High German leo (“lion”) or Old High German liut (“person”) and hart (“hard”). As a surname, also used as an anglicisation of Irish Ó Leannáin (Lennon).

Origin: Germanic languages

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

01.413k2.825k4.238k5.65k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

295,746

Peak year

1921 (5,675 babies)

Rank in 2025

#637 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +10%

Gender split

0% girls / 100% boys

Famous people named Leonard

Leonard Cohen

Canadian singer, songwriter and poet (1934–2016)

Leonard Bernstein

American conductor and composer (1918–1990)

Leonard Nimoy

American actor (1931–2015)

Lenny Kravitz

American guitarist and singer (born 1964)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Leonard.

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