Given name & surname
Leonel
“resembling a lion”·“resembling a young lion”
Leonel is a variant of Leon. In Greek use, Leon carries the interpretation “resembling a lion.” Leonel is a variant of Lionel. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a young lion.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Leonel is a variant of Leon. In Greek use, Leon carries the interpretation “resembling a lion.” Leonel is a variant of Lionel. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a young lion.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Leonel is a variant of Lionel. An origin associated with Lionel is Old French.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1910. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Leonel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,072
- 27,067 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 1,084 babies
- 2025
- 942
- #350 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 942 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 350 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (243). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 28,890 as a first name in 2020; 251 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Leonel’s family of names
Leonel has a related form in Leon. Leonel has a related form in Lionel. In Portuguese usage, Leonel has a conventional equivalent in the English form Lionel.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Leonel
- Leonel Fernándezformer president of the Dominican Republicborn 1953
- Leonel SánchezChilean footballer1936–2022
- Leonel MoreiraCosta Rican footballerborn 1990
- Leonel ÁlvarezColombian footballer and manager (born 1965)
- Leonel SuárezCuban decathleteborn 1987
- Leonel VangioniArgentine footballerborn 1987
- Leonel BrizolaBrazilian politician (1922–2004)
- Leonel ManzanoMexican-American middle-distance track and field athleteborn 1984
- Leonel Mário d'Alvapolitician, diplomat from São Tomé and Príncipeborn 1935
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Leonel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“God strengthens” · “strengthened by God”
>99% boys
Leandro
“lion” · “man”
>99% boys
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“surrounded by light”
>99% boys
Lian
“of the willow”
90% boys · 10% girls
Lorenzo
“man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel”
>99% boys
Leo
“lion” · “resembling a lion”
>99% boys
Lucca
“surrounded by light”
93% boys · 7% girls
Eliam
“the God of my nation”
>99% boys