Leander

Did you know?

A few things about Leander you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Leander

Leander Paes

Indian tennis player

Choose Leander and your child shares a first name with Leander Paes, an Indian tennis player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Leander, like who?” Leander Paes's Wikipedia article is available in 47 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Leander Paes on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Carine06 from UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 14,006 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Leander, 122 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Leander would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLeander has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Leanders, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1882, when it ranked #324. Today it's #1,459, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowLeander is 3.9× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 54,645 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 14,006.
• 🚀TrendLeander has climbed 257 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,459. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedLeander is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #789, followed by Pennsylvania (#913) and New Jersey (#915). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Leander means “lion man”.

About the name Leander

Leander is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “lion man”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-der”. US birth records list Leander for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 145 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked #324 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,459, with 122 babies.

Origin:Greek names