Leonard

Meaning: Hardy people
Origin: From Germanic via French

Nicknames: Len, Lenny

Boy's name · #637 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Leonard — on the books since 1880, #637 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 294,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Leonard is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 32 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Leonard ranks in other countries and regions.

#48 in Poland (2025) · #106 in Austria (2025) · #117 in France (2025) · #173 in Switzerland (2025) · #173 in Norway (2025) · #214 in Slovenia (2025) · #226 in Sweden (2025) · #250 in England & Wales (2025) · #279 in Ireland (2025) · #366 in Belgium (2025) · #374 in N. Ireland (2025) · #380 in New Zealand (2025) and 4 more.

Famous Leonards

Leonard Cohen — Canadian singer, songwriter and poet (1934–2016)
Leonard Bernstein — American conductor and composer (1918–1990)
Leonard Nimoy — American actor (1931–2015)
Leonard Bloomfield — American linguist (1887–1949)
Leonard Susskind — American physicist

In stories & tradition

Leonard McCoy — Star Trek: The Original Series (TV series)
Leonard Hofstadter — The Big Bang Theory (TV series)
Leonard (Captain Cold) — Legends of Tomorrow (TV series)

What Leonards become

Among 2,602 notable people named Leonard:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.46× more often than among typical names — e.g. Leonard W. Hall, American politician (1900–1979).

Spellings & nicknames

About 130 boys a year are given Lenny as their full name.

Similar names: Leonardo · Melvin · Leon · Alvin · Howard · Bernard

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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