Find out how popular the last name Leona is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Leona.

Leona, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Leona surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leona in America

Leona is the 125282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leona surname appeared 137 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Leona.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leona to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Leona

The surname Leona originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "leo" meaning lion, and was likely initially used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who exhibited lion-like qualities such as strength, courage, or fierceness.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leona can be found in the 13th century Florentine tax records, where a certain Guido Leona is mentioned. This suggests the name was already well-established in the region of Tuscany by that time.

In the 14th century, a nobleman named Giovanni Leona is mentioned in the records of the city of Siena. He was a prominent figure in the local government and held the position of Podestà (chief magistrate) in 1348.

The Leona surname also appears in several Italian literary works from the Renaissance period. For example, in Boccaccio's Decameron, written around 1350, one of the characters is referred to as Monna Belcolore Leona.

During the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Italy, including the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. In 1562, a man named Girolamo Leona from Venice is recorded as being involved in a legal dispute over property rights.

One notable figure with the surname Leona was the Italian painter Girolamo Leoni (1657-1742), who was born in Rome and became known for his landscapes and architectural paintings.

Another individual of note was the Italian playwright and librettist Giovanni Battista Leoni (1723-1805), who was born in Mantua and wrote several operas and comedies that were popular in his time.

In the 19th century, the Leona surname can be found in various records from different regions of Italy, indicating its continued presence throughout the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leona

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Leona.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Leona was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Leona has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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