Leo Name Meaning

Leah Campbell
·3 min read

Learn more about the meaning, origin, and popularity of the name Leo.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Stemming from the Latin word for lion, the name Leo dates back centuries. In German, it has its own translation, serving as a short version of Leon or Leopold and meaning "brave people" or "lion-hearted."

In Spain, leo is a holy oil used for anointing in the church. It is also the name of the fifth sign in the astrological zodiac, and there is a constellation named Leo as well.



  • Origin: Leo is the Latin word for lion.

  • Gender: Leo is usually used for boys.

  • Pronunciation: LEE-o (English), LEH-o (German, Danish, Finnish), LEH-yo (Dutch)





Editor's Note

Although many baby names are separated by gender, Parents believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select a name that you feel suits your new baby the best.



How Popular Is the Name Leo?

Leo has been rising in popularity over the past few decades. In 2000, the name was in spot 388. By 2020, Leo ascended to its highest spot since at least 1903 in the Social Security Administration's list of most popular baby names, coming in at No. 36. Most recently it comes in at No. 22 for the year 2022. The name, which ranked in the 400s for all of the 1990s, has gained popularity each year since 2007.

Leo also held some relative popularity in the early part of the 20th century, ranking in the top 100 from 1900 to 1937.

While the name Leo has most often been used as a boy’s name, it certainly has gender-neutral potential.

Name Variations

Variations of the name Leo are:

Similar Names

Other boy names originating from Latin include:

  • Adrian

  • Atticus

  • Julian

  • Lucas

  • Oliver

  • Santiago

  • Sebastian

  • Silas

  • Vincent

Other boy names that start with "L" include:

  • Landon

  • Landyn

  • Lane

  • Langston

  • Luca

  • Luis

  • Lorenzo

  • Lonnie

Common Nicknames for Leo

Some possible nicknames for Leo include Lolo, Ley, and Lee. However, there aren't a lot of common nicknames for the name, perhaps because it's already a short name—and it is often used as a nickname itself for the following names:

  • Leon

  • Leonard

  • Leonardo

  • Leopold

Suggested Sibling Names

Names that sound good paired with Leo include:

  • Adele

  • Alec

  • Charlie

  • Chloe

  • Eliza

  • Gavin

  • Levi

  • Lillie

  • Lucy

  • Noah

  • Violet

  • Walter

Related: 90 Twin Baby Name Ideas

Famous People Named Leo

Some famous people with the name Leo or variations of it include:

  • Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio, Academy Award-winning American actor

  • Leo "Leo the Lip" Durocher, American baseball player and coach

  • Leo Gordon, American character actor

  • Leo Gregory, English actor

  • Leo Maloney, Australian football player

  • Leo D. Maloney, American silent film actor and director

  • Leo Penn, American director, actor, and father of actor Sean Penn

  • Leo Sayer, English-Australian singer-songwriter and musician

  • Leo Tolstoy, Russian author of Anna Karenina



More Baby Names

Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options:



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Read the original article on Parents.