Leonel
Leonel was the 350th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 942 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 308th; the most babies were born in 2024 (1,084). Over the last ten years it has moved up 39 places. More babies were named Leonel in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning little lion (Spanish form of Lionel) · Latin, Spanish, French
Say it lay-oh-NEL /leɪoʊˈnɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #350 boys, down 5 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 942boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20241,084 babies
- Total since 1880
- 27,072babies recorded
What does the name Leonel mean?
Leonel is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Lionel, a diminutive of Leo or Léon, "lion". DMNES notes Lionel as the name of a knight in the Arthurian legends, a diminutive of Leo, from Latin leo and Greek leōn. In the US it is mainly used in Spanish-speaking families. Leo itself was the name of many popes; DMNES counts ten before 1600.
leo (Latin, “lion”)λέων (Ancient Greek, “lion”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Lionel, Leon, Leo.
See also: Latin names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Leo', DMNES, Durham University
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Lionel' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nicknames for Leonel
The usual nicknames for Leonel are Leo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Leonel in the last five years, 805 were named Leo, against 212 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leo · also for Leonardo, Leonidas, Leandro | Modern | #19 | 40,252 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Leonels go by each one.
Leonel popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5 since 1993.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #350 | 942 |
| 2020 | #345 | 929 |
| 2010 | #451 | 594 |
| 2000 | #524 | 423 |
| 1990 | #620 | 266 |
| 1980 | #699 | 155 |
| 1970 | #852 | 90 |
| 1960 | #948 | 64 |
| 1950 | #984 | 50 |
| 1940 | #1,300 | 27 |
| 1930 | #1,165 | 37 |
| 1920 | #1,407 | 28 |
| 1910 | #1,742 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Leonel, counting every spelling?
Leonel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #353 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #350 for Leonel on its own. Together these spellings went to 952 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonel | 942 | #350 | 5,001 |
| Leonell | 10 | #8,001 | 30 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Leonel?
942 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Leonel (0.26 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Leonel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Leonel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Leonel?
About 25,400 people born in the US named Leonel are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 7 and 28. That makes Leonel mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Leonel by state
How common Leonel was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (3.0×), Texas (2.6×), California (2.4×), Nevada (2.4×), New Mexico (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Missouri, South Carolina, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Leonel: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Leonel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Leonel · Sibling names for Leonel
Questions about the name Leonel
What does Leonel mean?
Leonel means “little lion (Spanish form of Lionel)” (Latin, Spanish, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Leonel?
Leonel was the 350th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 942 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 308th; the most babies were born in 2024 (1,084). Over the last ten years it has moved up 39 places. More babies were named Leonel in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Leonel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Leonel in the US.
Where is Leonel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Leonel was most common in Arizona (1.74 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and California.