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

Leonardo, 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 Leonardo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leonardo in America

Leonardo is the 5766th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leonardo surname appeared 6,007 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Leonardo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leonardo 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 Leonardo

The surname Leonardo originated in Italy, likely emerging during the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period, around the 13th to 15th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Italian given name Leonardo, which traces its roots back to the Old German name Leonhard. This name is composed of two elements: "lewo" meaning "lion" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Leonardo surname can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century ethnographic work compiled in Mexico. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been among the early Italian explorers and settlers in the Americas during the Age of Discovery.

The Leonardo surname is strongly associated with the renowned Italian Renaissance polymath, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), whose full name was Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci. His contributions to art, science, and engineering made him one of the most influential figures of his time and cemented the Leonardo name in history.

Another notable bearer of the Leonardo surname was Giovanni Battista Leonardo (1542-1625), an Italian mathematician and military engineer. He is known for his work on the construction of fortifications and his contributions to the development of ballistics.

In the realm of literature, the Italian novelist and playwright Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989) achieved significant acclaim for his works exploring themes of justice, morality, and the complexities of Sicilian society.

The Leonardo surname also has ties to the world of music, with the Italian composer and violinist Leonardo Leo (1694-1744) being a prominent figure in the Neapolitan school of opera during the Baroque period.

A more recent example is the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012), whose full name was Oscar Niemeyer Soares Filho. His innovative designs, including the iconic buildings in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, earned him international recognition and cemented his place in the history of modern architecture.

While the Leonardo surname may have originated in Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have contributed to diverse fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leonardo

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

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 Leonardo 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 Leonardo 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 Leonardo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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