Leonidas
Leonidas I was king of the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. He was the son of king Anaxandridas II and the 17th king of the Agiad dynasty, a Spartan royal house which claimed descent from Heracles. Leonidas I ascended to the throne in c. 489 BC, succeeding his half-brother king Cleomenes I.
Meaning & Origin of Leonidas
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Leonidas I was king of the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. He was the son of king Anaxandridas II and the 17th king of the Agiad dynasty, a Spartan royal house which claimed descent from Heracles. Leonidas I ascended to the throne in c. 489 BC, succeeding his half-brother king Cleomenes I.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Leonidas
Leonidas first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 758 Leonidass were born — ranking #421 that year. As of 2026, Leonidas ranks #501 for baby boys with 614 births, holding steady (+4%). In total, more than 11K Leonidass have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Leonidas
Phonetically similar names — useful when Leonidas 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 Leonidas
What does the name Leonidas mean?
How popular is Leonidas in 2026?
When was Leonidas most popular?
In which U.S. states is Leonidas most popular?
Is Leonidas a unisex name?
What names go well with Leonidas?
About the name Leonidas
Leonidas is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Leonidas's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #421. Use the chart and map above to compare Leonidas's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2022 →
- 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.