Leonard

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Leonard

Leonard Adleman

American computer scientist

Choose Leonard and your child shares a first name with Leonard Adleman, an American computer scientist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Leonard, like who?” Leonard Adleman's Wikipedia article is available in 35 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Leonard Adleman on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: len adlmen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,900 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Leonard, 438 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Leonard would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLeonard has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Leonards, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1923, when it ranked #37. Today it's #637, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📍Where it's lovedLeonard is most popular in Montana, where it ranks #173, followed by South Dakota (#221) and Minnesota (#275). It's in the top 1,000 in 31 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Leonard means “brave as a lion”.

About the name Leonard

Leonard is a boy name meaning “brave as a lion”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-ard”. US birth records list Leonard for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1923, when it ranked #37 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #637, with 438 babies.