Fun Facts About the Name Leonidas
- More than 10 thousand babies named Leonidas: U.S. records list 10,277 babies given the name Leonidas from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Leonidas Mean?
Leonidas is an ancient Greek name, written Λεωνίδας. It is built from the noun λέων (leon), meaning "lion," plus the suffix -ίδας (-idas), a patronymic ending meaning "son of" or "descendant of." Taken literally, the name means "son of a lion"; it is commonly interpreted more loosely as "lion-like."
The suffix is not a diminutive, and the name is not simply a longer form of Leon, though both draw on the same Greek word for lion.
Leonidas Name History & Origins
Leonidas is attested as a personal name in ancient Sparta, where names ending in -idas were common in leading families. Its most famous bearer was Leonidas I, a king of Sparta of the Agiad line who died in 480 BC at the Battle of Thermopylae, where he led a small Greek force against the invading Persians. The Greek historian Herodotus records him and the battle.
Other ancient figures carried the name as well, including Leonidas of Tarentum, a Greek poet of the third century BC, and Leonidas of Rhodes, a runner of the second century BC known for victories in the Olympic and other games.
The name passed into later European use. In the nineteenth century it appears in the English-speaking world, for instance with Leonidas Polk, an American Episcopal bishop who also served as a Confederate general. It continues in use in modern Greek and in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.
How Popular is the Name Leonidas?
Leonidas recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #421 in 2022.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #510 | 591 | 0.0346% |
| 2024 | #508 | 597 | 0.0348% |
| 2023 | #475 | 638 | 0.0373% |
| 2022 | #421 | 758 | 0.0435% |
| 2021 | #446 | 687 | 0.0393% |
| 2020 | #457 | 649 | 0.0376% |
| 2019 | #482 | 607 | 0.0338% |
| 2018 | #504 | 569 | 0.0313% |
| 2017 | #498 | 582 | 0.0315% |
| 2016 | #505 | 593 | 0.0313% |
| 2015 | #518 | 556 | 0.0290% |
| 2014 | #558 | 494 | 0.0257% |
| 2013 | #704 | 337 | 0.0178% |
| 2012 | #788 | 288 | 0.0152% |
| 2011 | #888 | 234 | 0.0123% |
| 2010 | #927 | 218 | 0.0114% |
| 2009 | #986 | 201 | 0.0101% |
| 2008 | #880 | 241 | 0.0118% |
| 2007 | #1,165 | 152 | 0.0073% |
| 2006 | #4,795 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #3,580 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #4,085 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #3,332 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2002 | #5,597 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #5,303 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #4,706 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #6,317 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #3,946 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #5,153 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #5,803 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #5,748 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #5,724 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #5,225 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #3,410 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1991 | #3,564 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #3,402 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #3,044 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #4,337 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #4,792 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #3,787 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1985 | #2,783 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #2,895 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1983 | #3,341 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #2,656 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #4,025 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #3,040 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #2,203 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1978 | #3,739 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #5,552 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #2,564 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1975 | #2,710 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1974 | #2,884 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #3,345 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,082 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #2,426 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1970 | #2,692 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1969 | #3,220 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #2,675 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #2,216 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1966 | #1,935 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1965 | #3,757 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #2,166 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1963 | #2,786 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #2,601 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #2,296 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1960 | #4,373 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #2,747 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #2,741 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #2,577 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #3,765 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #2,883 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #2,673 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #2,470 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1951 | #3,239 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #2,694 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1949 | #3,540 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #2,921 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #2,783 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #3,065 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,184 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,763 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1943 | #2,658 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1941 | #3,020 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1940 | #2,257 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1939 | #2,550 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1938 | #2,416 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1937 | #1,883 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1936 | #2,019 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1935 | #2,842 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1934 | #2,854 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1933 | #2,459 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1932 | #2,266 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #2,407 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1930 | #2,383 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1929 | #2,398 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1928 | #1,799 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1927 | #2,160 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1926 | #2,261 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1925 | #1,844 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1924 | #1,754 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1923 | #1,844 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1922 | #1,930 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1921 | #2,218 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1920 | #1,408 | 28 | 0.0026% |
| 1919 | #1,671 | 21 | 0.0021% |
| 1918 | #1,867 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #1,465 | 24 | 0.0026% |
| 1916 | #1,673 | 19 | 0.0021% |
| 1915 | #1,932 | 15 | 0.0018% |
| 1914 | #1,919 | 12 | 0.0018% |
| 1913 | #1,551 | 13 | 0.0025% |
| 1911 | #1,652 | 6 | 0.0027% |
| 1901 | #1,140 | 5 | 0.0047% |
| 1898 | #951 | 7 | 0.0057% |
| 1895 | #1,180 | 5 | 0.0043% |
| 1893 | #978 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1892 | #835 | 8 | 0.0066% |
| 1887 | #883 | 6 | 0.0059% |
| 1885 | #1,025 | 5 | 0.0046% |
| 1882 | #902 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1880 | #1,001 | 5 | 0.0045% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Leonidas Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Leonidas's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Leonidas's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.