# Leonard (surname)

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

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | German |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 91,475 |
| US rank (2010) | 338 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,375 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.6% (89,198 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɛnɚd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Larned |

## Etymology

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).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Leonard 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) | 80% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Leonard in the United States and Belgium.

## People named Leonard

- Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
- Elmore Leonard, American novelist and screenwriter (1925–2013)
- Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
- Robert Z. Leonard, American film director (1889-1968)
- Patrick Leonard, American musician, producer (born 1956)
- Joshua Leonard, American actor
- Marion Leonard, American actress (1881–1956)
- Sheldon Leonard, American actor, producer, director, and writer (1907–1997)
- Meyers Leonard, American basketball player (born 1992)
- Gloria Leonard, American pornographic film actress; feminist publisher & activist (1940-2014)
- Philippe Léonard, Belgian footballer
- Benny Leonard, American boxer (1896-1947)

and 21 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Leonardo, Lenard, Leonardi, Lenart, Lenhart, Leonhardt, Lenhardt, Leonhard, Linhart, Lehnert, Lammert, Lainhart.

## 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.