Leontay
French masculine name meaning "young lion", with roots in Greek.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Leontay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leontay today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leontay births was 1998 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leontay. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leontay. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1998
5 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2009 SSA rank
#13,680
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Leontay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leontay from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leontay 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 Leontay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leontay
The name Leontay is believed to have originated from a blend of the Greek words "leon" meaning lion and "tay" meaning strength or power. This combination suggests the name carries a meaning of lion-like strength or the power of a lion.
The earliest known references to the name can be traced back to ancient Greek texts and inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BC. It was a name given to warriors and soldiers who exhibited exceptional bravery and prowess in battle, likening them to the mighty lion.
One of the first recorded individuals with the name Leontay was a Spartan warrior who fought in the Peloponnesian War against Athens in the 5th century BC. His exploits on the battlefield were documented by the historian Thucydides, who praised his fearlessness and leadership.
In the 3rd century BC, a renowned Greek sculptor named Leontay created some of the most iconic statues of the era, including the famous "Winged Victory of Samothrace." His artworks were known for their dynamism and powerful depictions of human forms.
During the Byzantine era, a Christian monk and scholar named Leontay of Nicomedia lived in the 6th century AD. He was renowned for his extensive knowledge of theology and philosophy, and his writings significantly influenced the development of early Christian thought.
In the 12th century, a Crusader knight from France named Leontay de Montfort gained fame for his valor and military prowess during the Third Crusade. He was known for his unwavering courage in battles against the Saracens and played a crucial role in the capture of several key fortresses in the Holy Land.
Another notable figure with the name Leontay was an Italian Renaissance painter from the 15th century. Leontay da Vinci, a distant relative of the famous Leonardo da Vinci, was renowned for his innovative use of light and color in his frescoes and altarpieces, which adorned many churches and palaces in Italy.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Leontay, each leaving their mark in fields ranging from warfare and art to religion and scholarship, embodying the strength and power associated with the name's origins.
People
Leontay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leontay 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
Leontay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leontay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leontay 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 Leontay a common name?
We classify Leontay 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 Leontay most popular?
The single biggest year for Leontay was 1998, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leontay is about 22 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 Leontay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leontay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leontay 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 Leontay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leontay 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 Leontay 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 Leontay as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.