Leno
A masculine name of possible Germanic origin meaning "brave as a lion".
Name Census estimates that about 236 living Americans carry the first name Leno. It is a predominantly male name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Leno today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leno births was 1921 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leno. 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
236
~ 1 in 1,452,349 Americans
Peak year
1921
29 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,038
Tracked since 1909
Census
Leno in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 517 people with the first name Leno, which placed it at #20,108 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,108
National first-name rank
People counted
517
517 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
51.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leno
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leno is Hispanic at 51.8%. The next largest groups are White (23.8%) and Black (14.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Leno described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Leno at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino51.8% · 268
- White23.8% · 123
- Black or African American14.5% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 28
- Two or more races2.9% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 8
Gender
Gender distribution for Leno
Out of the 657 babies given the name Leno since 1880, 99.1% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Leno as a male name
- Ranked #13,385 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1921 (29 births)
Leno as a female name
- Ranked #4,038 in 1915
- 6 female births in 1915
- Peak: 1915 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leno leans strongly male. 488 people counted with this name were male (95.1%), compared with 25 female bearers (4.9%).
Popularity
Leno: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leno from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 190 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leno 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 Leno during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lenos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Pennsylvania, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Leno, while Michigan, California, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leno
The name Leno finds its origins in Greek and Latin roots, with a rich history dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "leontos," meaning "lion," which was a symbol of strength, courage, and nobility in classical Greek culture.
The earliest recorded use of the name Leno can be traced back to the Roman Empire, where it was a common name among aristocratic families. It was often given to male children as a way to bestow upon them the qualities associated with the lion.
In the 4th century AD, the name Leno gained religious significance with the rise of Christianity. Saint Leno, a hermit and monk from Bordeaux, France, became one of the earliest notable figures to bear the name. His piety and devotion to the Christian faith made him a revered figure in the region.
During the Middle Ages, the name Leno continued to be used across Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Leno of Verona, an Italian saint and bishop who lived in the 6th century AD. He was known for his charitable works and is the patron saint of Verona.
In the Renaissance period, the name Leno experienced a resurgence in popularity. One of the most renowned figures with this name was Leno Leni, an Italian painter and architect who lived in the 16th century. His works, including the frescoes in the Santa Maria Novella in Florence, are considered masterpieces of the Renaissance era.
Another notable figure bearing the name Leno was Leno di Nalduccio, an Italian sculptor and architect from the 14th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several churches and palaces in Florence, including the Palazzo della Signoria.
Over the centuries, the name Leno has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, religious figures, scholars, and politicians. While its popularity may have waxed and waned in different regions, the name's rich historical roots and associations with strength, courage, and nobility have endured.
People
Leno + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leno 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
Leno: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leno?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 236 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leno 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 1,452,349 US residents.
Is Leno a common name?
We classify Leno as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 657 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leno most popular?
The single biggest year for Leno was 1921, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leno is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leno in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 517 people with the name Leno, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,108 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Leno in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Leno?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leno leans strongly male. 488 people counted with this name were male (95.1%), compared with 25 female bearers (4.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Leno?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leno is Hispanic at 51.8%. The next largest groups are White (23.8%) and Black (14.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Leno most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Leno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.8% (268 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leno in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leno a male name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Leno in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Leno still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leno in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leno can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Leno?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.