Leonard
Leonard is a boys' name of German origin meaning “brave as a lion.” It ranked #637 in the United States in 2025. Derived from Old High German 'Leonhard,' composed of 'leo' (lion) and 'hard' (brave, strong).
how do you pronounce Leonard?
LEN-erd
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Leonard mean?
The name Leonard means “brave as a lion.” It comes from the German language tradition.
Derived from Old High German 'Leonhard,' composed of 'leo' (lion) and 'hard' (brave, strong). Saint Leonard of Noblac is the patron saint of prisoners and was widely venerated in medieval Europe.
where does the name Leonard come from?
Wiktionary traces Leonard to the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint, built from an element meaning lion (or, per the source's own alternate wording, person) plus hard, giving the general brave-or-strong sense often cited for the name. Wikipedia adds only that it is a common English surname and given name, without further detail.
the history of Leonard
Wiktionary cites that 6th-century Frankish saint as its earliest documented anchor, and separately notes Leonard has also served as an anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Leannáin (Lennon).
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #637 |
| 2024 | #671 |
| 2023 | #693 |
| 2022 | #707 |
| 2021 | #650 |
| 2020 | #635 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Leonard?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Leonard?
- Leonard Cohen (musician)
- Leonard Nimoy (actor)
- Leonardo da Vinci (artist/polymath)
what names are similar to Leonard?
what names go well with Leonard?
Sibling names that share Leonard's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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