How to say it
le · o · NAR · do
/ˌli.əˈnɑr.doʊ/
Masculine
Leonardo
Brave lion
What it means
Italianized Germanic name from leon ('lion') + hard ('brave, hardy'). Two of the most-recognized Leonardos in history come from Italy: da Vinci and DiCaprio.
Leonardo is the Italian and Spanish form of the Germanic Leonhard (leon 'lion' + hard 'brave'). It entered Latin through medieval saints, including Saint Leonard of Noblac, a 6th-century French monk and patron of prisoners. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) made the form globally recognizable; Leonardo DiCaprio gave it modern Hollywood currency. In the US the name surged with both Latin American immigration patterns and the Renaissance-art association. Leo is the common short, used widely as a given name in its own right. Lenny and Leon also circulate.
Popularity over time
peaked at #75 in 2022, currently #91 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Leo is the universal short and a fully standalone name. Lenny and Leon also circulate.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Leonardo da Vinci Italian Renaissance polymath, painter of the Mona Lisa
- Leonardo DiCaprio American actor, Titanic and The Revenant (Oscar)
Spelling variants
- Leonard
- Leonhard
- Leonardo
Names with the same feeling
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