Leonidas
A Greek masculine name derived from "leon" meaning lion.
Name Census estimates that about 9,095 living Americans carry the first name Leonidas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leonidas today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leonidas births was 2022 (758 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leonidas. 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.
Key insights
- • Leonidas is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
9.1K
~ 1 in 37,686 Americans
Peak year
2022
758 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#508
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Leonidas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leonidas from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,478 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Leonidas remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leonidas 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 Leonidas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leonidas' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 43 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Leonidas, while South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 178 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leonidas
The name Leonidas originates from the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek words "leon" meaning lion and "idas" which is a common ending used in Greek names. The name essentially translates to "son of the lion" or "lion-like."
Leonidas is perhaps most famously associated with Leonidas I, the legendary king of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. He is renowned for leading the Spartan army in the Battle of Thermopylae against the invading Persian forces in 480 BC. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Leonidas and his small contingent of Spartan warriors fiercely resisted the Persian army for several days, ultimately sacrificing their lives in the process. This act of bravery and resistance has become a symbol of courage and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds.
The name Leonidas can be traced back to ancient Greek literature and historical texts. It appears in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who documented the Persian Wars and the heroic stand of Leonidas and his Spartan warriors at Thermopylae. The name is also mentioned in various ancient Greek plays and poems, reflecting its cultural significance.
Beyond the famous Spartan king, other notable historical figures bearing the name Leonidas include Leonidas of Rhodes, a celebrated ancient Greek sculptor from the 1st century BC, known for his exceptional sculptures of the Laocoon Group and the Farnese Bull. Leonidas of Alexandria was a renowned ancient Greek poet and scholar who lived in the 3rd century BC and was part of the intellectual community at the Library of Alexandria.
In more recent times, Leonidas Holm was a Swedish-American painter and illustrator born in 1858, renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations depicting the American West. Leonidas Merritt was an American naval officer and civil engineer born in 1870, who played a crucial role in the construction of the Panama Canal.
The name Leonidas has endured through the ages, carrying a rich cultural heritage and associations with bravery, courage, and artistic excellence. Its Greek origins and historical connections to figures like the legendary Spartan king have contributed to its enduring appeal and significance across various cultures and time periods.
People
Leonidas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leonidas 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
Leonidas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leonidas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,095 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leonidas 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 37,686 US residents.
Is Leonidas a common name?
We classify Leonidas as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,686 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leonidas most popular?
The single biggest year for Leonidas was 2022, when 758 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leonidas is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leonidas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leonidas 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.
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.