Find out how popular the first name Leonella has been for the last 15 years (from 2010 to 2024) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Leonella by gender

Based on the last 15 years of data, Leonella is exclusively a female name.

For the most recent data in 2024, there were 11 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Leonella.

The history of the first name Leonella

Leonella is a feminine given name with Italian origins, derived from the Late Latin name Leontia, which itself comes from the Greek word "leon" meaning "lion". The name is believed to have first emerged during the late Roman period, around the 4th or 5th century AD.

In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as Leontia or Leontina, and was commonly used in regions of the Italian peninsula that were under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. As the name spread and evolved over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, including Leonella, Lionella, and Leanella.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leonella can be found in a historical document from the 9th century, which mentions a nun bearing this name living in a convent near the city of Verona in northern Italy. In the 12th century, a noblewoman named Leonella di Monferrato was mentioned in several chronicles as being a prominent figure in the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the name Leonella remained popular among Italian noble families, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Lombardy. Notable figures with this name include Leonella Cattaneo, a 14th-century Milanese poet and writer (c. 1350 - c. 1420), and Leonella d'Este, a 15th-century Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts (1419 - 1450).

In the 16th century, a famous bearer of the name was Leonella Caccini, an Italian composer and singer who was one of the first women to write opera (c. 1570 - c. 1645). Another notable Leonella from this period was Leonella Spada Veralli, an Italian painter and portraitist active in Rome during the late Renaissance (c. 1570 - c. 1640).

Moving into the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Leonella continued to be used among Italian aristocratic families, although it became less common in other parts of Europe. One notable bearer from this time was Leonella Nardi, an Italian painter and engraver who specialized in religious works (1652 - 1713).

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Leonella was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leonella, please contact us.

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