Leanora
Of Greek origin meaning "bright, shining light".
Name Census estimates that about 752 living Americans carry the first name Leanora. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leanora today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leanora births was 1927 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leanora. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
752
~ 1 in 455,790 Americans
Peak year
1927
28 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,705
Tracked since 1897
Popularity
Leanora: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leanora from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 204 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Leanora remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leanora by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leanora during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leanoras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Leanora, while Pennsylvania, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leanora
The name Leanora has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to the Hellenistic period of ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word "leontos," which means "lion." The name was likely originally spelled as "Leonora" or "Leonara," with the "L" sound later evolving into the "Le" prefix.
In ancient Greek mythology, the lion was a symbol of strength, courage, and nobility. It is possible that the name Leanora was bestowed upon children as a way to imbue them with these desired qualities or as a tribute to the revered lion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leanora can be found in the works of the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, who lived from around 46 AD to 120 AD. In his book "Parallel Lives," he mentions a woman named Leanora who was a prominent figure in the city of Sparta.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, the name Leanora gained popularity across Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. Some notable historical figures with this name include Leanora of Aragon (1450-1493), who was a Spanish noblewoman and the wife of King Ferdinand II of Naples.
In the 17th century, the English playwright William Shakespeare used the spelling "Leonora" in his play "Much Ado About Nothing," which featured a character named Leonora. This likely contributed to the widespread recognition and use of the name in English-speaking regions.
Other famous individuals with the name Leanora include Leanora Smethurstová (1820-1891), a Czech opera singer and actress, and Leanora Ragland (1948-), an American author and educator who has written extensively on issues of race and identity.
During the Victorian era, the name Leanora experienced a surge in popularity, particularly in the United States and Britain. This was likely influenced by the romantic and poetic connotations associated with the name's Greek origins and its connection to the powerful symbol of the lion.
People
Leanora + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leanora as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leanora: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leanora?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 752 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leanora going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 455,790 US residents.
Is Leanora a common name?
We classify Leanora as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,449 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leanora most popular?
The single biggest year for Leanora was 1927, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leanora is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leanora a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leanora in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.