2000
#7,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Leonardo
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name Leonhard, meaning "lion-strong," "lion-brave," or "lion-hearted."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,206 Americans carry the last name Leonardo. That puts it at #6,090 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leonardo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,230
Census rank
#6,090
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,412 bearers of the surname Leonardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6090th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leonardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leonardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Leonardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Leonardo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Leonardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.1% · 2,384
- Hispanic or Latino43.0% · 2,327
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.1% · 547
- Two or more races1.6% · 89
- Black or African American0.9% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leonardo
Leonardo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,007
+1,692 bearers (+39.2%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 1,373 places
2020
#6,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,412
-595 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 324 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,139 | 4,315 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,766 | 6,007 | 2.04 | +1,692 bearers (+39.2%) | Up 1,373 places |
| 2020 | #6,090 | 5,412 | 1.81 | -595 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 324 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Leonardo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,766 | #6,090 | -5.6% |
| Count | 6,007 | 5,412 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.81 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leonardo bearers went from 6,007 to 5,412 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 324 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,766 to #6,090.
FAQ
Leonardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leonardo?
Name Census estimates that about 6,206 living Americans carry the surname Leonardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,230 residents.
How common is Leonardo?
Leonardo ranks #6,090 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,412 people with the surname Leonardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Leonardo.
Has Leonardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leonardo went from 6,007 recorded bearers to 5,412. That is a decrease of 595 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,766 to #6,090.
What does the Census say about the background of Leonardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leonardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leonardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.1% (2,384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leonardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.1%), Hispanic (43.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Leonardo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Leonardo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name Leonhard, meaning "lion-strong," "lion-brave," or "lion-hearted." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Leonardo (1.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Leonardo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.