Lionel
Lionel was the 659th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 419 babies. Its best year was 1933, when it ranked 295th; the most babies were born in 2023 (609). Over the last ten years it has moved down 14 places. More babies were named Lionel in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning little lion · French, Latin
Say it LY-uh-nul /ˈlaɪənəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #659 boys, up 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 419boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023609 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,833babies recorded
What does the name Lionel mean?
Lionel is a medieval diminutive meaning "little lion." Wiktionary derives it from French Léon (Latin Leo, lion) or from the Middle English nickname Lion, plus the diminutive ending -el. DMNES notes that in the Arthurian legends Lionel is a younger son of King Bors. Leo itself, from Latin leo and Greek leōn, lion, was borne by ten medieval popes. Lionel has been used in the US since the 19th century.
leo (Latin, “lion”)-el (Old French, “diminutive suffix”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Leo, Leon, Léonel, Lionello.
See also: Latin names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lionel' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Leo', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Lionel
The usual nicknames for Lionel are Leo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Lionel in the last five years, 1665 were named Leo, against 769 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leo · also for Leonardo, Leonel, Leonidas | Modern | #19 | 40,252 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lionels go by each one.
Lionel popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 44 since 1921.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #659 | 419 |
| 2020 | #662 | 398 |
| 2010 | #899 | 228 |
| 2000 | #1,002 | 148 |
| 1990 | #666 | 231 |
| 1980 | #483 | 304 |
| 1970 | #522 | 239 |
| 1960 | #364 | 468 |
| 1950 | #355 | 363 |
| 1940 | #352 | 260 |
| 1930 | #330 | 281 |
| 1920 | #363 | 272 |
| 1910 | #489 | 33 |
| 1900 | #451 | 26 |
| 1890 | #523 | 14 |
| 1880 | #718 | 8 |
How popular is Lionel, counting every spelling?
Lionel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #637 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #659 for Lionel on its own. Together these spellings went to 426 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel | 419 | #659 | 2,417 |
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 Lionel?
419 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lionel (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Lionel 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 20 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lionel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lionel?
About 21,700 people born in the US named Lionel are alive today, with a median age of 41; half are between 13 and 62. That makes Lionel mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Lionel by state
How common Lionel was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.0×), California (1.9×), Nevada (1.9×), Texas (1.8×), Oregon (1.6×). In 19 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lionel: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lionel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lionel · Sibling names for Lionel
Questions about the name Lionel
What does Lionel mean?
Lionel means “little lion” (French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Lionel?
Lionel was the 659th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 419 babies. Its best year was 1933, when it ranked 295th; the most babies were born in 2023 (609). Over the last ten years it has moved down 14 places. More babies were named Lionel in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Lionel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Lionel in the US.
Where is Lionel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lionel was most common in Arizona (0.56 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Nevada.