The first name Leonard
A boy’s name from German meaning “lion”, “person”, “hard”.
Pronounced /ˈlɛnɚd/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
German origin
Leonard means “lion”, “person”, “hard” in German.
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).
More names that mean lion.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 187 boys were named Leonard, making it the 249th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2019, with 235 births (#217).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Leonard with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Leonard at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 438 boys born in the United States were named Leonard, the 637th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 5,650 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Leonard in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Leonard in Polish and Romanian too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Leonard
208 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Leonard CohenCanadian singer, songwriter and poet (1934–2016)
- Leonard BernsteinAmerican conductor and composer (1918–1990)
- Leonard NimoyAmerican actor (1931–2015)
- Arthur Leonard SchawlowAmerican physicist, 1921–1999
- Leonard BloomfieldAmerican linguist (1887–1949)
- Leonard SusskindAmerican physicist, born 1940
- Leonard AdlemanAmerican computer scientist, born 1945
- Leonard WoolleyBritish archaeologist (1880–1960)
- Leonard KleinrockAmerican computer scientist (born 1934)
- Leonard Trelawny HobhouseBritish sociologist (1864-1929)
- Leonard Wood5th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (1860-1927)
- Leonard Eugene DicksonAmerican mathematician (1874–1954)
More German boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Leonard mean?
- Leonard means “lion”, “person”, “hard” in German.
- What is the origin of the name Leonard?
- 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).
- How popular is the name Leonard?
- In 2025, 187 boys born in England and Wales were named Leonard, ranking 249th. Its peak was 2019, with 235 births.
- What are nicknames for Leonard?
- Common nicknames for Leonard include Len, Lenny.
- Is Leonard a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 295,746 US babies named Leonard since 1880 were boys.
- When was Leonard most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 5,650 babies were named Leonard, its highest rank at 39th.
- How do you pronounce Leonard?
- Leonard is /ˈlɛnɚd/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Leonard?
- Larned.
- Is Leonard also a surname?
- Yes. Leonard is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.