boys' name ★ peaked 2024

Leonel

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #350 Trend ↑ Rising 14%
Rank 2025
#350
among boys · ↓33 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
942
named Leonel · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,813
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
1,084 babies
All-time total
27,072
#713 all-time among boys
First recorded
1910
in Social Security records

Leonel popularity over time

27,072 babies have been named Leonel since 1910, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 131 131 13 – #1,438
1920s – 266 266 27 +103% #1,212
1930s – 324 324 32 +22% #924
1940s – 390 390 39 +20% #901
1950s – 476 476 48 +22% #974
1960s – 633 633 63 +33% #865
1970s – 1,083 1,083 108 +71% #735
1980s – 1,886 1,886 189 +74% #622
1990s 5 3,191 3,196 320 +69% #544
2000s – 5,139 5,139 514 +61% #422
2010s – 7,618 7,618 762 +48% #346
2020s (to 2025) – 5,930 5,930 988 +30% #308

Where Leonel 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 961 0.56 #342
2027 977 0.57 #340
2028 991 0.58 #338
2029 1,003 0.59 #337
2030 1,014 0.59 #334

Where Leonel is most popular

Boys named Leonel per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.579 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, Texas, and California.

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 Leonel 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
Arizona 284 1.74 +200%
Texas 1,324 1.50 +160%
California 1,258 1.38 +138%
Nevada 78 1.37 +136%
New Mexico 38 1.15 +99%
Colorado 117 0.906 +57%
Kansas 55 0.802 +38%
Illinois 204 0.798 +38%
Oklahoma 64 0.724 +25%
Oregon 53 0.698 +21%
Washington 98 0.599 ≈ national
Utah 49 0.513 -11%
Iowa 34 0.493 -15%
Idaho 20 0.489 -16%
Wisconsin 54 0.456 -21%
Georgia 114 0.450 -22%
Florida 210 0.444 -23%
North Carolina 106 0.415 -28%
Delaware 6 0.396 -32%
New Jersey 70 0.348 -40%
Minnesota 40 0.326 -44%
Virginia 60 0.316 -45%
Michigan 64 0.312 -46%
Arkansas 19 0.300 -48%
Indiana 47 0.293 -49%
Tennessee 52 0.288 -50%
Massachusetts 39 0.284 -51%
Connecticut 18 0.266 -54%
New York 115 0.266 -54%
Alabama 28 0.256 -56%
Pennsylvania 52 0.196 -66%
Maryland 21 0.176 -70%
Ohio 33 0.125 -78%
Louisiana 12 0.117 -80%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -80%
South Carolina 9 0.087 -85%
Missouri 6 0.043 -93%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Leonel

Leonel is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #350 in 2025 with 942 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1910, 27,072 American babies have been named Leonel. Its peak came in 2024, when 1,084 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Leonel stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Leonel?

The median living Leonel is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 27. An estimated 26 thousand people named Leonel are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Leonel 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 – – 942 #350
2024 – – 1,084 #317
2023 – – 1,075 #308
2022 – – 1,032 #327
2021 – – 868 #375
2020 – – 929 #345
2019 – – 972 #346
2018 – – 923 #358
2017 – – 903 #365
2016 – – 891 #373
2015 – – 821 #389
2014 – – 709 #430
2013 – – 606 #463
2012 – – 618 #445
2011 – – 581 #461
2010 – – 594 #451
2009 – – 578 #473
2008 – – 572 #484
2007 – – 556 #484
2006 – – 578 #467
2005 – – 633 #422
2004 – – 535 #471
2003 – – 447 #525
2002 – – 407 #545
2001 – – 410 #535
2000 – – 423 #524
1995 – – 301 #593
1990 – – 266 #620
1985 – – 183 #647
1980 – – 155 #699
1975 – – 122 #755
1970 – – 90 #852
1965 – – 70 #878
1960 – – 64 #948
1955 – – 51 #1,057
1950 – – 50 #984
1945 – – 34 #1,137
1940 – – 27 #1,300
1935 – – 31 #1,216
1930 – – 37 #1,165
1925 – – 23 #1,609
1920 – – 28 #1,407
1915 – – 23 #1,438
1910 – – 5 #1,742
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Leonel

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

  1. 1 Leonel Fernández Leonel Fernández President of the Dominican Republic (1996–2000; 2004–2012) b. 1953 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Leonel Brizola Leonel Brizola Brazilian politician (1922–2004) Contemporary
  3. 3 Leonel Sánchez Leonel Sánchez Chilean footballer (1936–2022) Contemporary
  4. 4 Leonel Álvarez Leonel Álvarez Colombian football defensive midfielder b. 1965 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Leonel Manzano Leonel Manzano Mexican-American middle-distance track and field athlete b. 1984 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Leonel Marshall Jr. Leonel Marshall Jr. Cuban volleyball player (born 1979) Contemporary
  7. 7 Leonel Vangioni Leonel Vangioni Argentine footballer b. 1987 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Leonel Suárez Leonel Suárez Cuban decathlete (born 1987) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Leonel?

The median living Leonel is about 14 years old. Half of all living Leonels are between 6 and 27 years old.

How many people named Leonel are alive today?

An estimated 26 thousand people named Leonel are alive in the United States, based on 27,072 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Leonel in 2025?

Leonel ranked #350 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 942 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leonel?

27,072 babies have been named Leonel in the United States since 1910, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leonel most popular?

Leonel peaked in 2024, when 1,084 newborns received the name.

Is Leonel a boy or girl name?

Leonel is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Leonel rising or falling?

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

Will Leonel become more popular?

Leonel is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,014 boys named Leonel in 2030, which would rank around #334. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Leonel?

Well-known people named Leonel include Leonel Fernández (politician), Leonel Brizola (politician), Leonel Sánchez (soccer player).

Names like Leonel

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

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