How common is the surname Leon?

86,363 people in the United States had the surname Leon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,575 Americans. It ranked 363rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Leon?

Donna Leon, American crime novelist (born 1942), followed by Valerie Leon.

Where is the surname Leon most common?

Wikidata records people named Leon in the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Leon?

Leon is /ˈli.ɑn/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Leon getting more or less common?

More common. 62,034 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 86,363 in 2010, up 39%.

Is Leon also a first name?

Yes. Leon is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Leon

A Latin surname, carried by 86,363 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈli.ɑn/ 2 syllables Soundex L500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Leon is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Latin origin

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.

One of 91 Latin surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 86,363 people named Leon in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,575 Americans. That is up 39% since 2000, when the Census counted 62,034.

#363

rank among US surnames

86,363

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+39.2%

change since 2000 (was #483)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#354	Parks	88,586	3,485
#355	Steele	88,230	3,499
#356	Vaughn	88,060	3,506
#357	Becker	87,859	3,514
#358	Holt	87,531	3,527
#359	Deleon	87,414	3,532
#360	Barker	87,162	3,542

Who is named Leon

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

85% of people named Leon identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), 10.0% as white (not Hispanic) and 3.0% as Black (not Hispanic).

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

Compare: most common surnames among Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Famous Leons

10 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Donna Leon
American crime novelist (born 1942)
Valerie Leon
British actress, born 1943
Yankiel León
Boxer, born 1982
Abraham Leon
Belgian activist (1918–1944)
Faith Leon
American pornographic actress, born 1985
Patricia de Leon
Actress, model, television host, born 1976
Sandy León
Baseball player, born 1989
Adrianne León
American musician, model and actor, born 1987
Lourdes Leon
American singer, dancer, and fashion model, born 1996
Cory Chase
American pornographic actress, born 1981

Notable Leons come mostly from the United States (4), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Leon

Leon has the Soundex code L500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L500.

Other Latin surnames

All 91 Latin surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Leon come from?: 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.
How common is the surname Leon?: 86,363 people in the United States had the surname Leon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,575 Americans. It ranked 363rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Leon?: In the 2010 Census, 85% of people named Leon identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 10.0% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Leon?: Donna Leon, American crime novelist (born 1942), followed by Valerie Leon.
Where is the surname Leon most common?: Wikidata records people named Leon in the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Leon?: Leon is /ˈli.ɑn/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Leon getting more or less common?: More common. 62,034 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 86,363 in 2010, up 39%.
Is Leon also a first name?: Yes. Leon is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.