# Leon (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/leon/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Latin.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Latin |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 86,363 |
| US rank (2010) | 363 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,575 people |
| Change since 2000 | +39% (62,034 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈli.ɑn/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language. Sometimes via other related languages such as French Léon and sometimes as a diminutive of related names such as Leonard and Leonardo.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Leon in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 10.0% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 85% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 0.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Leon in the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Belgium and Panama.

## People named Leon

- Donna Leon, American crime novelist (born 1942)
- Valerie Leon, British actress
- Yankiel León, boxer
- Abraham Leon, Belgian activist (1918–1944)
- Faith Leon, American pornographic actress
- Patricia de Leon, actress, model, television host
- Sandy León, baseball player
- Adrianne León, American musician, model and actor
- Lourdes Leon, American singer, dancer, and fashion model
- Cory Chase, American pornographic actress

## Similar surnames

Leone, Lien, Lein, Lehn, Leno, Lown, Lona, Leoni, Lone, Leano, Len, Lean.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.