Boy · #501 in 2026

Leonidas

Name: Popularity of the name Leonidas in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Leonidas, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#501

Peak Rank

#421 (2022)

Total Babies

11K

5-Yr Trend

+4%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

2022

Peak Year

#421

Peak Rank

11K

Total Count

122

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Leonidas

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

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. The name hit its high-water mark in 2022: 758 births, good for #421 nationwide. About 42% of every Leonidas on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Leonidas ranks #501 for baby boys with 614 births, holding steady (+4%). All told, over 11K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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.

Leonides
Leonida
Leonids
Lianas
Leonia
Luanda
Launches
Linnaeus
Launders
Lionesses
Leonid
Ligneous

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Leonidas

What does the name Leonidas mean?

How popular is Leonidas in 2026?

In 2026, Leonidas ranks #501 among boys' names in the U.S., with 614 babies given the name that year.

When was Leonidas most popular?

Leonidas reached its peak popularity in 2022, ranking #421 that year with 758 babies given the name.

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

Leonidas has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Leonidas.

Is Leonidas a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Leonidas?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leonidas include Emmitt, Fredric, Brodie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.