2000
#2,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,047
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.58
Uncommon Last name
Leone
An Italian surname referring to a lion, often signifying courage, strength, or a fierce nature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,699 Americans carry the last name Leone. That puts it at #2,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leone 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Leone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,525
Census rank
#2,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,562 bearers of the surname Leone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leone
The surname Leone originates from Italy and is derived from the Italian word "leone," meaning lion. This surname likely emerged in the Middle Ages, as surnames became more widespread across Europe during this time period.
The earliest documented instances of the Leone surname can be traced back to the 13th century in regions such as Sicily, Calabria, and Naples. The name may have been initially adopted by individuals who displayed bravery or strength akin to the lion, or it could have been a descriptive name for someone with lion-like physical characteristics.
In the late 13th century, records from the city of Messina in Sicily mention a nobleman named Riccardo Leone, suggesting the name's association with nobility and prominence at that time. Another early reference to the Leone surname can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of documents from the city of Bari in southern Italy, where it mentions a certain Nicola Leone in the year 1295.
The surname Leone has been documented in various historical records throughout Italy's history, including the "Codice Diplomatico Normanno" from the 11th century, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Leone in the year 1081.
One notable bearer of the Leone surname was Tommaso Leone (1616-1676), an Italian painter from Naples who was known for his religious works and landscapes. Another prominent figure was Giovanni Leone (1908-2001), an Italian politician who served as the sixth President of the Italian Republic from 1971 to 1978.
Other notable individuals with the surname Leone include Enrico Leone (1835-1909), an Italian philosopher and writer, as well as Vincenzo Leone (1624-1694), an Italian painter and architect from Naples who was known for his Baroque-style works.
In the 15th century, the Leone surname can be found in records from the Duchy of Milan, suggesting its spread throughout various regions of Italy over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leone
Among Census respondents with the surname Leone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leone 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 Leone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 13,194
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 663
- Two or more races2.5% · 358
- Black or African American1.2% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leone
Leone 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
#2,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,364
+317 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#2,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,562
-802 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.87
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,216 | 15,047 | 5.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,372 | 15,364 | 5.21 | +317 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #2,428 | 14,562 | 4.87 | -802 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 56 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 Leone 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 | #2,372 | #2,428 | -2.4% |
| Count | 15,364 | 14,562 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.21 | 4.87 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leone bearers went from 15,364 to 14,562 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,372 to #2,428.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leone
FAQ
Leone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leone?
Name Census estimates that about 16,699 living Americans carry the surname Leone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,525 residents.
How common is Leone?
Leone ranks #2,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,562 people with the surname Leone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,699), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Leone.
Has Leone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leone went from 15,364 recorded bearers to 14,562. That is a decrease of 802 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,372 to #2,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Leone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Leone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (13,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Leone (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 Leone mean?
An Italian surname referring to a lion, often signifying courage, strength, or a fierce nature. 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 Leone (4.87 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 common is the surname Leone?
If you just want to know how many people are called Leone, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.