Primarily a boy's name · 99% boys
Léo is a proper noun in French, meaning "lion". Its etymological root lies in the Latin word Leo.
From Wikipedia
In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Leo yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
Leo has already cooled from a very recent high: its rank peaked at #18 in 2023, just one year before this data ends, and by 2024 it had slipped to #24 even though the raw count, 7,793, is still close to its 2022 peak of 8,290. A 96% rise over the decade is one of the larger gains in this batch, but the rank slippage suggests the climb may already be leveling off.
The name has been recorded since 1880, giving it a longer paper trail than its recent surge might suggest, similar in shape to Asher's pattern of old roots and a recent breakout.
Its famous-bearer list is dominated by French cultural figures under the accented spelling Léo — composer Léo Delibes, singer Johnny Hallyday (born Jean-Philippe Léo Smet) — pointing to a European namesake pool quite different from the largely American or British lists attached to names like Hudson or Owen.
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to Leo · Compare Leo with another name → · Popular names of the 2020s · Boys names starting with L
Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 147 | #93 |
| 1881 | 122 | #103 |
| 1882 | 146 | #99 |
| 1883 | 142 | #95 |
| 1884 | 192 | #84 |
| 1885 | 199 | #83 |
| 1886 | 240 | #73 |
| 1887 | 232 | #74 |
| 1888 | 353 | #59 |
| 1889 | 325 | #59 |
| 1890 | 393 | #49 |
| 1891 | 353 | #51 |
| 1892 | 444 | #49 |
| 1893 | 448 | #45 |
| 1894 | 515 | #42 |
| 1895 | 509 | #42 |
| 1896 | 497 | #47 |
| 1897 | 462 | #46 |
| 1898 | 588 | #39 |
| 1899 | 482 | #43 |
| 1900 | 570 | #46 |
| 1901 | 456 | #42 |
| 1902 | 551 | #43 |
| 1903 | 636 | #38 |
| 1904 | 552 | #42 |
| 1905 | 512 | #46 |
| 1906 | 508 | #47 |
| 1907 | 651 | #42 |
| 1908 | 584 | #49 |
| 1909 | 609 | #49 |
| 1910 | 707 | #51 |
| 1911 | 844 | #51 |
| 1912 | 1,654 | #49 |
| 1913 | 2,031 | #48 |
| 1914 | 2,655 | #47 |
| 1915 | 3,527 | #47 |
| 1916 | 3,621 | #47 |
| 1917 | 3,779 | #47 |
| 1918 | 4,036 | #48 |
| 1919 | 3,802 | #49 |
| 1920 | 4,054 | #48 |
| 1921 | 4,066 | #50 |
| 1922 | 3,901 | #51 |
| 1923 | 3,973 | #49 |
| 1924 | 3,990 | #51 |
| 1925 | 3,775 | #54 |
| 1926 | 3,552 | #54 |
| 1927 | 3,536 | #55 |
| 1928 | 3,095 | #61 |
| 1929 | 3,018 | #60 |
| 1930 | 3,035 | #63 |
| 1931 | 2,700 | #69 |
| 1932 | 2,500 | #74 |
| 1933 | 2,352 | #75 |
| 1934 | 2,309 | #86 |
| 1935 | 2,142 | #92 |
| 1936 | 2,017 | #94 |
| 1937 | 2,015 | #97 |
| 1938 | 1,952 | #104 |
| 1939 | 1,842 | #108 |
| 1940 | 1,753 | #112 |
| 1941 | 1,725 | #116 |
| 1942 | 1,800 | #120 |
| 1943 | 1,694 | #133 |
| 1944 | 1,592 | #132 |
| 1945 | 1,582 | #139 |
| 1946 | 1,647 | #147 |
| 1947 | 1,805 | #147 |
| 1948 | 1,718 | #151 |
| 1949 | 1,646 | #153 |
| 1950 | 1,554 | #160 |
| 1951 | 1,658 | #156 |
| 1952 | 1,558 | #171 |
| 1953 | 1,657 | #162 |
| 1954 | 1,613 | #172 |
| 1955 | 1,576 | #175 |
| 1956 | 1,550 | #184 |
| 1957 | 1,511 | #190 |
| 1958 | 1,428 | #195 |
| 1959 | 1,432 | #202 |
| 1960 | 1,203 | #230 |
| 1961 | 1,178 | #230 |
| 1962 | 1,101 | #232 |
| 1963 | 1,015 | #237 |
| 1964 | 1,027 | #233 |
| 1965 | 902 | #247 |
| 1966 | 856 | #244 |
| 1967 | 767 | #262 |
| 1968 | 695 | #279 |
| 1969 | 741 | #273 |
| 1970 | 702 | #294 |
| 1971 | 651 | #302 |
| 1972 | 550 | #327 |
| 1973 | 509 | #335 |
| 1974 | 511 | #340 |
| 1975 | 516 | #336 |
| 1976 | 481 | #348 |
| 1977 | 484 | #359 |
| 1978 | 478 | #353 |
| 1979 | 483 | #362 |
| 1980 | 473 | #367 |
| 1981 | 534 | #341 |
| 1982 | 483 | #366 |
| 1983 | 429 | #388 |
| 1984 | 430 | #396 |
| 1985 | 447 | #405 |
| 1986 | 415 | #422 |
| 1987 | 452 | #410 |
| 1988 | 451 | #426 |
| 1989 | 428 | #454 |
| 1990 | 431 | #477 |
| 1991 | 506 | #441 |
| 1992 | 469 | #463 |
| 1993 | 456 | #465 |
| 1994 | 474 | #462 |
| 1995 | 446 | #486 |
| 1996 | 447 | #482 |
| 1997 | 458 | #471 |
| 1998 | 527 | #434 |
| 1999 | 524 | #441 |
| 2000 | 658 | #388 |
| 2001 | 736 | #360 |
| 2002 | 809 | #339 |
| 2003 | 1,095 | #285 |
| 2004 | 1,239 | #265 |
| 2005 | 1,275 | #259 |
| 2006 | 1,501 | #235 |
| 2007 | 1,531 | #238 |
| 2008 | 1,628 | #228 |
| 2009 | 1,802 | #210 |
| 2010 | 1,946 | #191 |
| 2011 | 2,250 | #167 |
| 2012 | 2,879 | #134 |
| 2013 | 3,510 | #112 |
| 2014 | 3,976 | #97 |
| 2015 | 4,602 | #91 |
| 2016 | 5,299 | #74 |
| 2017 | 5,965 | #62 |
| 2018 | 6,772 | #50 |
| 2019 | 7,501 | #40 |
| 2020 | 7,222 | #36 |
| 2021 | 7,802 | #31 |
| 2022 | 8,290 | #22 |
| 2023 | 8,152 | #18 |
| 2024 | 7,793 | #24 |
