The first name Napoleon
A boy’s name from Italian meaning “naples”, “lion”.
Pronounced /nəˈpəʊ.li.ən/ 4 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Italian origin
Napoleon means “naples”, “lion” in Italian.
From French Napoléon, from Italian Napoleone, name of an early saint, of uncertain origin; possibly from the Germanic clan name Nibelung. By folk etymology explained as Napoli (“Naples”) + leone (“lion”).
More names that mean lion.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Napoleon at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 22 boys born in the United States were named Napoleon, the 4,651st most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1926, when 122 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.
Napoleon in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Napoleon in Czech, Polish and Romanian too.
Famous people named Napoleon
24 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- NapoleonFrench military leader, French Emperor 1804–1814 and again in 1815 (1769–1821)
- Napoléon, Prince ImperialFrench prince (1856–1879)
- Napoleon ChagnonAmerican anthropologist (1938–2019)
- Napoleon SaronyAmerican artist (1821-1896)
- Napoléon Henri ReberFrench composer (1807-1880)
- Napoleon Murphy BrockAmerican singer, saxophonist and flautist, born 1943
- Napoléon CosteFrench composer (1805–1883)
- Napoleon B. BrowardAmerican politician (1857-1910)
- Ludovic-Napoléon LepicFrench painter and engraver (1839-1889)
- François-Napoléon-Marie MoignoFrench cleric-scientist (1804-1884)
- Napoleon M. KheilCzech entomologist (1849-1923)
- Napoléon PeyratFrench author and historian from Les Bordes-sur-Arize, 1809–1881
More Italian boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Napoleon mean?
- Napoleon means “naples”, “lion” in Italian.
- What is the origin of the name Napoleon?
- From French Napoléon, from Italian Napoleone, name of an early saint, of uncertain origin; possibly from the Germanic clan name Nibelung. By folk etymology explained as Napoli (“Naples”) + leone (“lion”).
- Is Napoleon a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 7,810 US babies named Napoleon since 1880 were boys.
- When was Napoleon most popular?
- 1926 in the United States, when 122 babies were named Napoleon, its highest rank at 558th.
- How do you pronounce Napoleon?
- Napoleon is /nəˈpəʊ.li.ən/, 4 syllables.
- Is Napoleon also a surname?
- Yes. Napoleon is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.