Leonydas
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "lion-like" or "son of a lion".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Leonydas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leonydas today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leonydas births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leonydas. 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 Leonydas. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,532
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Leonydas: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Leonydas 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 Leonydas 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Leonydas
The name Leonydas has its origins in ancient Greek culture, derived from the elements "leon" meaning "lion" and "idas" meaning "son of." It is believed to have emerged during the Classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE.
One of the most famous historical references to the name Leonydas is the legendary Spartan king Leonidas, who famously led a small band of Spartan warriors against the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE. His valor and sacrifice have been immortalized in literature and art throughout the ages.
In ancient Greek mythology, Leonydas was also the name of a prince of Argos who was mentioned in Homer's Iliad. This suggests that the name was in use among the nobility and ruling classes of ancient Greece.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Leonydas can be found in ancient Greek historical records and inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BCE. Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne this name.
One of the most renowned Leonydas in history was Leonydas I, the Spartan king who led the famous stand at Thermopylae against the Persians in 480 BCE. His courageous leadership and sacrifice have become legendary.
Another notable Leonydas was Leonydas II, a Spartan king who reigned from around 256 BCE to 235 BCE. He played a significant role in the Cleomenean War against the Achaean League.
In the Byzantine era, Leonydas was the name of a 7th-century Byzantine general who served under Emperor Heraclius. He played a crucial role in the Byzantine-Sassanid War against the Persians.
During the Renaissance period, Leonydas Tommaso was an Italian humanist and scholar who lived from 1456 to 1531. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the revival of classical learning.
In more recent times, Leonydas Kouvaris was a Greek athlete who won a gold medal in wrestling at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. He was born in 1884 and passed away in 1957.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Leonydas, a name steeped in ancient Greek culture and mythology, and often associated with bravery, strength, and leadership.
People
Leonydas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leonydas 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
Leonydas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leonydas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leonydas 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Leonydas a common name?
We classify Leonydas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leonydas most popular?
The single biggest year for Leonydas was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leonydas 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 Leonydas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leonydas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leonydas 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 Leonydas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leonydas 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 Leonydas 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 are called Leonydas?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Leonydas, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.