Leoni
Feminine form of the Latin name Leonius, derived from the Latin word leo meaning "lion".
Name Census estimates that about 274 living Americans carry the first name Leoni. It is a predominantly female name (96.4% of registrations). The average person named Leoni today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leoni births was 2021 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leoni. 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
274
~ 1 in 1,250,928 Americans
Peak year
2021
28 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2022 SSA rank
#8,194
Tracked since 2000
Gender
Gender distribution for Leoni
Leoni leans heavily female at 96.4% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Leoni as a male name
- Ranked #13,530 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2021 (5 births)
Leoni as a female name
- Ranked #8,194 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (23 births)
Popularity
Leoni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leoni from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 117 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Leoni remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leoni 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 Leoni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leonis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Leoni
The name Leoni is a masculine given name with roots in the Latin language. It originated as a surname derived from the Latin word "leo," meaning lion. The name likely emerged during the medieval period in regions where Latin was widely spoken, such as Italy, France, and Spain.
In ancient Roman culture, the lion was a symbol of strength, courage, and nobility. As a result, names related to the lion carried connotations of power and valor. Leoni may have been bestowed upon individuals who exhibited these qualities or as a way to invoke them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leoni can be found in the historical records of Florence, Italy, dating back to the 13th century. Leoni di Ser Jacopo, a renowned Florentine painter and sculptor, lived from 1285 to 1344 and was known for his work on the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Another notable figure bearing the name Leoni was Leoni Battista Alberti, an Italian Renaissance humanist, author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer. Born in 1404 in Genoa, Alberti made significant contributions to various fields and is widely regarded as a universal genius.
In the realm of literature, Leoni Gasparo Gozzi, an Italian writer and playwright, lived from 1713 to 1786. He was a prominent figure in the Venetian literary scene and is best known for his satirical works and his efforts to revive the traditional Italian theater.
The name Leoni also found its way into the world of music. Leoni Arrigo Boito, an Italian poet, writer, and composer, was born in 1842 and is renowned for his libretti for Giuseppe Verdi's operas, including Otello and Falstaff.
In the field of science, Leoni Battista Grassi, an Italian naturalist and physician, made significant contributions to the study of malaria. Born in 1854, he conducted groundbreaking research that identified the role of mosquitoes in transmitting the disease, a discovery that paved the way for effective prevention and treatment measures.
While these are just a few examples, the name Leoni has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines.
People
Leoni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leoni 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
Leoni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leoni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 274 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leoni 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 1,250,928 US residents.
Is Leoni a common name?
We classify Leoni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 276 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leoni most popular?
The single biggest year for Leoni was 2021, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leoni is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leoni a female name?
Yes, 96.4% of people registered as Leoni 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.