Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Leonardo

Say it lee-oh-NAR-doh 4 syllables

Italian · “as strong as a lion”

Loved in Italy. Common across Switzerland, four German cities, and New South Wales. Rare across France, the UK, Poland, and 13 more places.

1 in 29 boys born in Italy in 2024. Number 1 there.

Leonardo in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 1, common in 6, rare in 18.
Leonardo in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales126 (up)20253891 in 6991282020
Scotland2782025131 in 1,5112782020
Northern Ireland314 (new in the list)202551 in 1,657Not listed2020
Ireland188 (up)2025251 in 9492402020
North America
Ontario (province)1122024112about 1 in 5351122019
Quebec (province)192 (up)202528about 1 in 1,0372002020
British Columbia (province)193 (down)202318about 1 in 7231882018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)79 (up)2025103812020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025672020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025932020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France538 (down)20251001 in 3,0274402020
Netherlands308 (up)202552about 1 in 1,2793522020
Central Europe
Austria124 (down)2025551 in 6921212020
Switzerland13 (up)20251911 in 188172020
Berlin (city)73 (up)202343about 1 in 361812018
Munich (city)44 (up)202530about 1 in 146652020
Cologne (city)61 (up)202319about 1 in 336732018
Bonn (city)72 (up)20258about 1 in 3961042020
Leipzig (city)170 (down)20253about 1 in 9591282020
Rostock (city)172 (up)20251about 1 in 1,0472122020
Nordic countries
Norway347 (down)202591 in 2,5873102020
Sweden223 (up)202541about 1 in 1,0522652020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)101 (up)2025461 in 4501132020
Italy120246,5801 in 2912019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland139 (up)2025781 in 1,6211612020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Slovenia153 (new in the list)202511about 1 in 658Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

In Italian, Leonard becomes Leonardo. It comes from Old French Leonard, the name of a Frankish saint, and from the Old High German Leonhart, 'as strong as a lion', made of leo, 'lion', and hart, 'hard, strong'.

2 more paragraphs

It has four syllables, lee-oh-NAR-doh, and a grand, flowing rhythm. Leo is the obvious short form, and related names include Leonard, Leonhard, Lennart and Lénárd.

Leonardo is the leading boys' name in Italy and popular in Switzerland. In English-speaking countries it is more moderate, found in the lists for New South Wales, Ontario and England and Wales. French records put its peak only a few years ago, and it is rising in most of the places that record it.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
lee-oh-NAR-doh · 4 syllables · Stress on beat 3 of 4.
Meaning
“as strong as a lion”
Origin
Italian
Spellings counted
Counted together with Leonardo here: Leónardó.
Related names
Leonard, Leo, Leonhard, Lennart, Leonhart, Leonardas, Lénárd, Leonardus, Lenardo, Lleonard
Where Leonardo comes from (Wiktionary)

From Old French Leonard, name of a 6th century Frankish saint, from Old High German Leonhart (literally “as strong as a lion”), from leo (“lion”) and hart (“hard, strong”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Leonardo. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Leonardo over time

Rising in 9 of the 24 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 2. Peak in France: 2021.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Leonardo in England and Wales: #1,458 in 1996, a peak of #116 in 2019, and #126 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000#3,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #1,458, 8 boys1997: #759, 21 boys1998: #376, 60 boys1999: #454, 47 boys2000: #515, 38 boys2001: #452, 46 boys2002: #449, 49 boys2003: #453, 54 boys2004: #348, 86 boys2005: #313, 102 boys2006: #279, 129 boys2007: #264, 152 boys2008: #289, 145 boys2009: #277, 156 boys2010: #256, 184 boys2011: #215, 228 boys2012: #230, 225 boys2013: #196, 283 boys2014: #178, 315 boys2015: #160, 366 boys2016: #132, 453 boys2017: #136, 433 boys2018: #119, 504 boys2019: #116, 494 boys2020: #128, 428 boys2021: #116, 498 boys2022: #127, 439 boys2023: #122, 439 boys2024: #124, 439 boys2025: #126, 389 boys#1,458 in 1996peak #116, 2019#126in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
19961,4588
199775921
199837660
199945447
200051538
200145246
200244949
200345354
200434886
2005313102
2006279129
2007264152
2008289145
2009277156
2010256184
2011215228
2012230225
2013196283
2014178315
2015160366
2016132453
2017136433
2018119504
2019116494
2020128428
2021116498
2022127439
2023122439
2024124439
2025126389

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Leonardo in France since 1925 were born in or after 2013. Peak: 2021, about 43 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 1.6 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 1.3 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0.7 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0.4 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0.2 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 1.2 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 1.9 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 5.8 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 4.3 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 2.5 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 1.6 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 1.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 0.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 1.8 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 6.1 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 10.2 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 14.6 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 22.8 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 30.2 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 38.2 per 100,000 boys20202025: 33 per 100,000 boys20252020-2024: about 1 in 2,616 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19291.6
1930–19341.3
1935–19390.7
1940–19440.4
1945–19490.2
1950–19541.2
1955–19591.9
1960–19645.8
1965–19694.3
1970–19742.5
1975–19791.6
1980–19841.2
1985–19890.8
1990–19941.8
1995–19996.1
2000–200410.2
2005–200914.6
2010–201422.8
2015–201930.2
2020–202438.2
202533

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Leonardo

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Leonardo, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 423, Catalonia

  2. 1 in 83, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 169, Ireland

  4. 1 in 252, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 289, Ireland

  6. 1 in 66, Poland

  7. 1 in 91, Norway

  8. 1 in 192, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 456, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 64, Austria

All 40 brother names for Leonardo

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Leonardo's 4 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 105, Ireland

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 62, Poland

Full-name check

Leonardo Jack

Syllables 4-1Initials L.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Leonardo

Sisters for Leonardo: Elena, Valentina, Liliana, and 5 more
  1. ElenaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo
  2. ValentinaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo
  3. LilianaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo · Same initial as Leonardo
  4. GabriellaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo
  5. AlessiaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo
  6. BiancaRose and fell with Leonardo · Italian, like Leonardo
  7. NinaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo
  8. AlinaRose and fell with Leonardo · Same generation as Leonardo

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Leonardo

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Leonardo's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common in Italy, the Netherlands, Ontario, and 11 more places.

  2. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Poland, and 18 more places.

  4. Common across England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, the Netherlands, and 11 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 7 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 14 more places.

  7. Loved across the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and 7 more places.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 16 more places.

Famous people named Leonardo

Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo DiCaprio, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Leonardo

How popular is Leonardo in New South Wales?

Leonardo ranked #79 in New South Wales in 2025, given to 103 boys.

Is Leonardo rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 9 of the 24 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 2. Rising in: Northern Ireland, Ireland, Slovenia, Poland, Munich, and 4 other regions.

What does Leonardo mean?

Leonardo means “as strong as a lion”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Leonardo have?

Leonardo has 4 syllables: lee-oh-NAR-doh.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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