Leonardo
Boy name · #91 in 2025 · Well-known
Leonardo ranks #91 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 3,789 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #103, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 475 boys born in 2025 was named Leonardo.
Babies named Leonardo per year. Source: SSA.
The 140-year story
Leonardo first appears in the Social Security records in 1885, when 5 boys received the name. Its peak came in 2019, when 4,427 boys were named Leonardo — good for #86 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Leonardo against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Leonardo in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Leonardo is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Leonardo is most common
Geography matters for names, and Leonardo is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Leonardo is most common in NV (5.7 per 1,000), CA (4.8 per 1,000), AZ (4.5 per 1,000), TX (4.1 per 1,000), IL (4.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 2.6 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Leonardo is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Leonardo
Leonardo carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Leonardo family went to about 11,962 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #6, versus #91 for Leonardo alone.
Names like Leonardo
Statistically, parents drawn to Leonardo tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lorenzo, Emiliano, Lincoln, Harrison, and Luciano.
LorenzoEmilianoLincolnHarrisonLucianoEmilioJamesonMatteo
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Leonardo | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,789 | #91 |
| 2024 | 3,966 | #84 |
| 2023 | 4,030 | #84 |
| 2022 | 4,367 | #75 |
| 2021 | 4,105 | #87 |
| 2020 | 4,104 | #86 |
| 2019 | 4,427 | #86 |
| 2018 | 4,223 | #93 |
| 2017 | 4,131 | #97 |
| 2016 | 4,325 | #96 |
| 2015 | 3,823 | #103 |
| 2014 | 3,450 | #114 |
| 2013 | 2,909 | #131 |
| 2012 | 2,684 | #152 |
| 2011 | 2,641 | #149 |
| 2010 | 2,617 | #150 |
| 2009 | 2,368 | #164 |
| 2008 | 2,346 | #168 |
| 2007 | 2,527 | #164 |
| 2006 | 2,187 | #183 |
| 2005 | 2,146 | #186 |
| 2004 | 1,964 | #195 |
| 2003 | 1,708 | #211 |
| 2002 | 1,460 | #230 |
| 2001 | 1,453 | #234 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Leonardo a popular boy name?
Leonardo ranked #91 among boys in 2025 with 3,789 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #103.
When was the name Leonardo most popular?
Leonardo peaked in 2019, when 4,427 American boys received the name (ranked #86 that year). Since 2019 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Leonardo?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 475 newborn American boys was named Leonardo. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.