Leonel
Boy name · #350 in 2025 · Uniqueness 52/100
Leonel is currently the #350 boy name in the United States — 942 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #389, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,911 boys born in 2025 was named Leonel.
The 115-year story
Leonel first appears in the Social Security records in 1910, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 1,084 babies and a rank of #317. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. 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.
Babies named Leonel per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Leonel against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Leonel in class?
Leonel scores 52 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Leonel is most common
Geography matters for names, and Leonel is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Leonels were TX (243), CA (220), AZ (59), FL (41), IL (39). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Leonel
Statistically, parents drawn to Leonel tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lionel, Ezequiel, Raphael, Ismael, and Dariel.
LionelEzequielRaphaelIsmaelDarielLawsonShmuelKhalil
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Leonel | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 942 | #350 |
| 2024 | 1,084 | #317 |
| 2023 | 1,075 | #308 |
| 2022 | 1,032 | #327 |
| 2021 | 868 | #373 |
| 2020 | 929 | #345 |
| 2019 | 972 | #346 |
| 2018 | 923 | #358 |
| 2017 | 903 | #365 |
| 2016 | 891 | #373 |
| 2015 | 821 | #389 |
| 2014 | 709 | #430 |
| 2013 | 606 | #463 |
| 2012 | 618 | #445 |
| 2011 | 581 | #460 |
| 2010 | 594 | #451 |
| 2009 | 578 | #473 |
| 2008 | 572 | #484 |
| 2007 | 556 | #481 |
| 2006 | 578 | #465 |
| 2005 | 633 | #422 |
| 2004 | 535 | #471 |
| 2003 | 447 | #524 |
| 2002 | 407 | #545 |
| 2001 | 410 | #533 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Leonel a popular boy name?
Leonel ranked #350 among boys in 2025 with 942 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #389.
When was the name Leonel most popular?
Leonel peaked in 2024, when 1,084 American boys received the name (ranked #317 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Leonel?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,911 newborn American boys was named Leonel. It scores 52/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
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.