Leon

Where Leon comes from

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language. Sometimes via other related languages such as French Léon and sometimes as a diminutive of related names such as Leonard and Leonardo.
— Wiktionary's entry for Leon
  • Latin
  • Ancient Greek
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1404
    Leon Battista Alberti born
    Italian architect and writer
  2. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #114 among boys — 118 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1922
    Leon M. Lederman born
    American mathematician and physicist
  4. 1926
    Peak, #73
    2,647 babies named Leon — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1965
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #199.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.
Namesakes
  • Leon Battista Alberti · Italian architect and writer, 1404–1472
  • Leon M. Lederman · American mathematician and physicist, 1922–2018
  • Leon Cooper · American physicist, 1930–2024
  • Leon Goretzka · German association football player, born 1995
  • Leon Panetta · American politician, Secretary of Defense 2011–2013, born 1938

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.