ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1892

First Year

1989

Last Year

1928

Peak Year

#1179

Peak Rank

1K

Total Count

83

Years Active

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## Meaning & Origin of Leonard

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Leonard is a common English surname and a masculine given name.

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard)

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* English
* Dutch
* German
* Polish
* Romanian
* Germanic
* French

📖

## The Story of Leonard

American parents first put Leonard on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 200 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 5,650 Leonards were born — ranking #39 that year. As of 2026, Leonard ranks #705 for baby boys with 385 births, gradually falling (-10%). All told, over 295K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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## Variants & Related Forms of Leonard

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Leonard. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Len](/len)
* [Lenard](/lenard)
* [Lenn](/lenn)
* [Lennard](/lennard)
* [Lennart](/lennart)
* [Lennie](/lennie)
* [Lenny](/lenny)
* [Leonhard](/leonhard)

🎶

## Names that sound like Leonard

Phonetically similar names — useful when Leonard is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Lenard](/lenard)
* [Lennard](/lennard)
* Lenhard
* Lenart
* Lehnert
* Lend
* [Laird](/laird)
* Leathered
* [Lenora](/lenora)
* Leisured
* Lennar
* Lehner

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Leonard

What does the name Leonard mean?

Leonard is a common English surname and a masculine given name.

What is the origin of the name Leonard?

Leonard has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Dutch, German, Polish, Romanian, Germanic, French.

How popular is Leonard in 2026?

In 2026, Leonard ranks #705 among boys' names in the U.S., with 385 babies given the name that year.

When was Leonard most popular?

Leonard reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #37 that year with 5,650 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Leonard most popular?

Leonard has historically been most popular in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Leonard.

Is Leonard a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Leonard is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Leonard?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leonard include Norman, Mike, Travis. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Leonard?

Common variants and related forms of Leonard include Len, Lenard, Lenn, Lennard, Lennart, Lennie. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

## Similar Names

[👧FloriaPeak #1179](/floria)[👧ShantellePeak #1179](/shantelle)[👧MiyahPeak #1179](/miyah)[👧EliettePeak #1179](/eliette)[👧LotaPeak #1178](/lota)[👧MasonPeak #1180](/mason)[👧ShanyaPeak #1180](/shanya)[👧CambreePeak #1178](/cambree)

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## About the name Leonard 

Leonard is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 295K births in the dataset. Leonard's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #37\. Use the chart and map above to compare Leonard's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1921 → ](/year/1921)
* [ Names of the 1920s → ](/decade/1920s)
* [ Names starting with "L" → ](/letter/l)
* [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

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. 

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