Leander
Leander is a given name. The most famous bearer of the name is mythological, from the story of Hero and Leander. Leandro is the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish version of this name.
- Greek Mythology
Meaning & Origin of Leander
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Leander is a given name. The most famous bearer of the name is mythological, from the story of Hero and Leander. Leandro is the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish version of this name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Greek Mythology
The Story of Leander
American parents first put Leander on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 17 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 117 Leanders were born — ranking #1,508 that year. As of 2026, Leander ranks #1,611 for baby boys with 107 births, rising sharply (+35% over the past five years). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Leander
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Leander. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Where is Leander most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- Netherlands35%
- Germany27%
- Belgium16%
- United States14%
- Switzerland8%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Leander
Phonetically similar names — useful when Leander is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Leander
What does the name Leander mean?
What is the origin of the name Leander?
How popular is Leander in 2026?
When was Leander most popular?
In which U.S. states is Leander most popular?
Is Leander a unisex name?
What names go well with Leander?
What are nicknames or variants of Leander?
About the name Leander
Leander is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Leander's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #324. Use the chart and map above to compare Leander's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2023 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.