The first name Leonid
A boy’s name from Macedonian.
3 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Macedonian origin
Borrowed from Macedonian and Russian Леони́д (Leoníd) or Ukrainian Леоні́д (Leoníd), from Ancient Greek Λεωνίδας (Leōnídas). Cognate with the English historical name Leonidas.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 3 boys were named Leonid, making it the 5,137th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2023, with 12 births (#1,906).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Leonid with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Leonid at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 16 boys born in the United States were named Leonid, the 5,746th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2022, when 30 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.
Famous people named Leonid
25 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Leonid BrezhnevGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1906–1982)
- Leonid SpirinAthletics competitor (1932–1982)
- Leonid KinskeyAmerican actor (1903-1998)
- Leonid ShamkovichAmerican chess player of Russian origin (1923–2005)
- Leonid NikolaevAssassin of Sergei Kirov (1904–1934)
- Leonid ShcherbakovAthletics competitor (1927–2004)
- Leonid BartenyevAthletics competitor (1933–2021)
- Leonid RomanovFencer, born 1947
- Leonid KreutzerGerman musician (1884–1953)
- Leonid LavrovskyBallet dancer and choreographer at Mariinsky & Bolshoi (1905–1967)
- Leonid FeodorovExarch of the Russian Catholic Church (1879-1935)
- Leonid BogdanovFencer (1927–2021)
Questions
- What does the name Leonid mean?
- Borrowed from Macedonian and Russian Леони́д (Leoníd) or Ukrainian Леоні́д (Leoníd), from Ancient Greek Λεωνίδας (Leōnídas). Cognate with the English historical name Leonidas.
- What is the origin of the name Leonid?
- Borrowed from Macedonian and Russian Леони́д (Leoníd) or Ukrainian Леоні́д (Leoníd), from Ancient Greek Λεωνίδας (Leōnídas). Cognate with the English historical name Leonidas.
- How popular is the name Leonid?
- In 2025, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Leonid, ranking 5,137th. Its peak was 2023, with 12 births.
- Is Leonid a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 494 US babies named Leonid since 1880 were boys.
- When was Leonid most popular?
- 2022 in the United States, when 30 babies were named Leonid, its highest rank at 3,738th.