Lionel

Where Lionel comes from

A Middle English diminutive of French Léon, Latin Leo (“lion”), or of the Middle English nickname Lion + -el (diminutive suffix).
— Wiktionary's entry for Lionel
  • Latin
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #682 among boys — 8 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1934
    Peak, #295
    336 babies named Lionel — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1949
    Lionel Richie born
    American singer, songwriter and actor
  4. 1987
    Lionel Messi born
    Argentine association football player
  5. 1994
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #847.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Latin of mostly British usage.
Namesakes
  • Lionel Messi · Argentine association football player, born 1987
  • Lionel Richie · American singer, songwriter and actor, born 1949
  • Lionel Jospin · 93rd Prime Minister of France, 1937–2026
  • Lionel Barrymore · American actor, director and screenwriter, 1878–1954
  • Lionel Scaloni · Argentine football coach, born 1978

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.