boys' name ★ peaked 1924

Leon

Meaning lion Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #138 Trend ↑ Rising 46%

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language.

Rank 2025
#138
among boys · ↑3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,583
named Leon
How common
1 in 661
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1924
2,714 babies
All-time total
184,074
#201 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Leon popularity over time

184,074 babies have been named Leon since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,475 1,475 148 – #90
1890s 46 2,103 2,149 215 +46% #81
1900s 83 2,859 2,942 294 +37% #76
1910s 226 15,280 15,506 1,551 +427% #77
1920s 314 25,577 25,891 2,589 +67% #73
1930s 184 23,005 23,189 2,319 -10% #81
1940s 116 23,578 23,694 2,369 +2% #89
1950s 127 21,341 21,468 2,147 -9% #119
1960s 129 13,823 13,952 1,395 -35% #187
1970s 115 9,854 9,969 997 -29% #207
1980s 73 7,627 7,700 770 -23% #248
1990s 10 5,176 5,186 519 -33% #388
2000s – 5,062 5,062 506 -2% #445
2010s – 11,768 11,768 1,177 +132% #208
2020s (to 2025) 13 14,110 14,123 2,354 +100% #138

Where Leon is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 2,756 1.61 #131
2027 2,912 1.71 #124
2028 3,052 1.79 #118
2029 3,176 1.86 #111
2030 3,285 1.92 #106

Where Leon is most popular

Boys named Leon per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.41 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Hawaii, and Oregon.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Leon born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 41 3.44 +144%
Hawaii 53 3.41 +142%
Oregon 199 2.62 +86%
Washington 422 2.58 +83%
Minnesota 303 2.47 +75%
Rhode Island 38 2.33 +65%
California 2,011 2.20 +56%
Colorado 281 2.18 +54%
Nevada 122 2.14 +52%
New Mexico 69 2.09 +48%
Wisconsin 245 2.07 +47%
Maine 39 2.01 +42%
District of Columbia 28 1.90 +34%
New Hampshire 42 1.89 +34%
New York 815 1.88 +33%
Connecticut 126 1.86 +32%
Massachusetts 250 1.82 +29%
West Virginia 59 1.81 +28%
Idaho 73 1.78 +26%
Oklahoma 153 1.73 +23%
Illinois 442 1.73 +23%
Michigan 354 1.73 +23%
North Dakota 29 1.70 +20%
Indiana 267 1.67 +18%
South Dakota 30 1.61 +14%
Pennsylvania 427 1.61 +14%
Utah 153 1.60 +14%
Nebraska 68 1.56 +11%
Arizona 255 1.56 +10%
Ohio 408 1.54 +9%
Iowa 101 1.46 ≈ national
Kansas 100 1.46 ≈ national
New Jersey 291 1.45 ≈ national
Texas 1,265 1.44 ≈ national
Montana 25 1.42 ≈ national
Florida 665 1.40 ≈ national
Missouri 193 1.39 ≈ national
Kentucky 135 1.35 -5%
Vermont 8 1.27 -10%
Tennessee 228 1.26 -10%
Arkansas 78 1.23 -13%
Virginia 232 1.22 -13%
Delaware 18 1.19 -16%
Maryland 139 1.17 -17%
Georgia 283 1.12 -21%
North Carolina 255 0.999 -29%
Louisiana 100 0.978 -31%
South Carolina 97 0.939 -33%
Wyoming 5 0.864 -39%
Alabama 82 0.750 -47%
Mississippi 29 0.510 -64%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Leon

Leon is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #138 in 2025 with 2,583 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 184,074 American babies have been named Leon. Its peak came in 1924, when 2,714 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Leon stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Leon?

The median living Leon is about 51 years old; half are between 13 and 71. An estimated 96 thousand people named Leon are alive in the United States today.

median 51 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Leon year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 2,583 #138
2024 – – 2,572 #141
2023 – – 2,459 #148
2022 7 #13,017 2,374 #158
2021 – – 2,198 #177
2020 6 #14,403 1,924 #196
2019 – – 1,866 #208
2018 – – 1,605 #238
2017 – – 1,518 #244
2016 – – 1,313 #277
2015 – – 1,140 #314
2014 – – 1,081 #321
2013 – – 1,021 #324
2012 – – 859 #356
2011 – – 696 #406
2010 – – 669 #418
2009 – – 628 #445
2008 – – 549 #499
2007 – – 543 #488
2006 – – 517 #502
2005 – – 470 #524
2004 – – 462 #520
2003 – – 495 #497
2002 – – 472 #489
2001 – – 469 #490
2000 – – 457 #500
1995 – – 503 #452
1990 – – 594 #390
1985 7 #8,850 727 #283
1980 14 #5,116 904 #248
1975 10 #5,777 884 #233
1970 10 #5,256 1,222 #207
1965 9 #4,677 1,263 #199
1960 19 #2,867 1,647 #189
1955 17 #2,789 2,141 #143
1950 14 #2,842 2,427 #119
1945 11 #2,847 2,098 #111
1940 13 #2,368 2,318 #89
1935 13 #2,377 2,282 #86
1930 23 #1,684 2,401 #81
1925 27 #1,630 2,636 #76
1920 42 #1,181 2,554 #75
1915 31 #1,273 1,977 #82
1910 17 #1,094 435 #81
1905 9 #1,366 274 #87
1900 10 #1,275 310 #85
1895 – – 219 #87
1890 – – 197 #87
1885 – – 146 #99
1880 – – 118 #114

Famous people named Leon

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Leon Trotsky Leon Trotsky Soviet politician and revolutionary (1879–1940) 19th century
  2. 2 Leon Thomas III Leon Thomas III American singer and songwriter (born 1993) Contemporary
  3. 3 Leon Russell Leon Russell American singer-songwriter (1942–2016) Contemporary
  4. 4 Leon Czolgosz Leon Czolgosz Assassin of William McKinley (1873–1901) 19th century
  5. 5 Leon Panetta Leon Panetta American politician and government official (born 1938) Contemporary
  6. 6 Leon Draisaitl Leon Draisaitl German ice hockey player (born 1995) Contemporary
  7. 7 Leon Spinks Leon Spinks American boxer (1953–2021) Contemporary
  8. 8 Leon Wilkeson Leon Wilkeson American bass guitarist (1952–2001) Contemporary
  9. 9 Leon Lai Leon Lai Hong Kong singer and actor (born 1966) Contemporary
  10. 10 Leon Uris Leon Uris American author (1924–2003) Contemporary
  11. 11 Leon Osman Leon Osman English footballer (born 1981) Contemporary
  12. 12 Leon Ames Actor, United States 1902–1993 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Leon Battista Alberti Leon Battista Alberti Italian architect and author (1404-1472) Medieval
  14. 14 Leon Brittan Politician, United Kingdom 1939–2015 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Leon Russom Leon Russom American actor b. 1941 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Leon Festinger Leon Festinger American social psychologist (1919–1989) Contemporary
  17. 17 Leon M. Lederman Leon M. Lederman American mathematician and physicist (1922–2018) Contemporary
  18. 18 Leon Fleisher Leon Fleisher American pianist and conductor (1928–2020) Contemporary
  19. 19 Leon Cooper Leon Cooper American physicist and neuroscientist (1930–2024) Contemporary
  20. 20 Leon Pinsker Leon Pinsker Jewish scholar and writer (1821–1891) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Leon, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Leon?

The median living Leon is about 51 years old. Half of all living Leons are between 13 and 71 years old.

How many people named Leon are alive today?

An estimated 96 thousand people named Leon are alive in the United States, based on 184,074 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Leon mean?

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language.

How popular is the name Leon in 2025?

Leon ranked #138 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,583 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leon?

184,074 babies have been named Leon in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leon most popular?

Leon peaked in 1924, when 2,714 newborns received the name.

Is Leon a boy or girl name?

Leon is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Leon rising or falling?

Leon is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Leon become more popular?

Leon is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 3,285 boys named Leon in 2030, which would rank around #106. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Leon?

Well-known people named Leon include Leon Trotsky (politician), Leon Thomas III (actor), Leon Russell (singer).

Names like Leon

Names that sound and feel close to Leon: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Leon with similar names → More names starting with L →