Leonas
A masculine given name derived from the Greek word for "lion".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Leonas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leonas today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leonas births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leonas. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Leonas with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leonas. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,387
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Leonas: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Leonas 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 Leonas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Leonas
The name Leonas is of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word "leon," meaning "lion." It has been a popular name in various cultures and regions for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Leonas dates back to ancient Greece, where it was associated with strength, courage, and bravery, qualities that were highly valued in Greek society. In Greek mythology, the lion was a symbol of power and often associated with the gods and heroes.
One of the most notable historical references to the name Leonas is in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentions a Spartan warrior named Leonas in his accounts of the Greco-Persian Wars in the 5th century BC.
During the Byzantine Empire, the name Leonas gained popularity among the ruling class and aristocracy. Several Byzantine emperors bore this name, including Leonas III (675-741 AD), who reigned from 717 to 741 AD and is known for his efforts in defending the empire against the Arab invasions.
In the Middle Ages, the name Leonas was also used in various European countries, particularly in regions with strong Greek cultural influences. One notable figure was Leonas Tzangaropoulos (c. 1275-1335), a prominent Byzantine scholar and philosopher who contributed to the development of Renaissance humanism in Italy.
The name Leonas has also been associated with several notable figures in the arts and literature. Leonas Battista Alberti (1404-1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist, author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer. Leonas Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a renowned Russian writer and philosopher, best known for his novels "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina."
In the realm of politics and leadership, Leonas Trotsky (1879-1940) was a prominent Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist who played a key role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. Leonas Blum (1872-1950) was a French socialist politician who served as the Prime Minister of France three times during the interwar period.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Leonas throughout history, reflecting its enduring popularity and the diverse cultures and contexts in which it has been used.
People
Leonas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leonas 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
Leonas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leonas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leonas 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Leonas a common name?
We classify Leonas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leonas most popular?
The single biggest year for Leonas was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leonas is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Leonas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leonas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leonas 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 Leonas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leonas 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 Leonas 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Leonas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.