Fun Facts About the Name Leonna
- More than 1 thousand babies named Leonna: U.S. records list 1,375 babies given the name Leonna from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Leonna Mean?
Leonna is usually treated as a variant spelling of Leona, whose meaning is "lioness." The root is the Greek word leon (λέων), "lion," which passed into Latin as leo. Latin formed a feminine noun leaena, later written leona, giving the sense "lioness," and that feminine ending -a is what turned the masculine Leon into Leona. The doubled n in Leonna is a spelling variation of that same name rather than a separate word. A competing explanation treats Leonna as a blend of two names, such as Lee and Anna, or as an English form influenced by the French feminine Léonne; if either is the source in a particular family, the derivation from "lioness" does not apply. The two explanations are not always distinguishable from the spelling alone.
Leonna Name History & Origins
Names built on the Greek leon, "lion," entered western Europe through Latin and the Greek-speaking eastern Mediterranean. The masculine Leon was used by Byzantine emperors and by several saints, and the closely related papal name Leo was taken by a long line of popes, including Leo I in the fifth century. That religious and political use helped carry the root into many European languages. Feminine forms grew up beside the masculine ones: Leona in English, Spanish, Italian, and German use, and Léonne in French.
Leonna belongs to this English group as a spelling variant of Leona. The extra n most likely reflects pronunciation and the pull of common names ending in -onna, such as Donna, though it may also point to a separate coinage from Lee and Anna. Because the spelling is a variant rather than a distinct traditional name, it has no separate history of its own beyond Leona's.
How Popular is the Name Leonna?
Leonna has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2009. Its best rank was #3,309 in 1958.
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 | #4,826 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2024 | #4,602 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2023 | #6,075 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #4,164 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 2021 | #4,291 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2020 | #4,228 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2019 | #4,610 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 2018 | #4,202 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2017 | #4,040 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2016 | #3,629 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2015 | #4,551 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #3,629 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2013 | #3,436 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2012 | #3,760 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2011 | #3,880 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2010 | #3,928 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2009 | #3,388 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2008 | #3,826 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2007 | #6,218 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #4,319 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2005 | #5,192 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #4,772 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2003 | #4,268 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2002 | #4,235 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2001 | #4,631 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2000 | #4,353 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1999 | #3,610 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #5,052 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #5,325 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #10,120 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #4,294 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #4,940 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1993 | #6,461 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #10,030 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #5,555 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #5,994 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #5,178 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1988 | #6,110 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #6,567 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #4,868 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1985 | #5,214 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #6,561 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #5,658 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #5,749 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #6,600 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #5,118 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #7,695 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #6,683 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #7,257 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #10,133 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #7,317 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #7,081 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #8,999 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #7,893 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #8,718 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #8,100 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #7,638 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #3,960 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1966 | #6,214 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #4,678 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #5,247 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #5,631 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #5,100 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #6,070 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #6,790 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,309 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1957 | #5,775 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #5,085 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #5,544 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #6,215 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,751 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #5,742 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1945 | #4,934 | 5 | 0.0004% |
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 Leonna 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.
✦ Leonna's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Leonna's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.