Given name & surname
Leonidas
“having the strength of a lion”·“having great strength”
Leonidas is a variant of Leonard. One German interpretation is “having the strength of a lion.” Leonidas is a variant of Leonidus. One Latin interpretation is “having great strength.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Leonidas is a variant of Leonard. One German interpretation is “having the strength of a lion.” Leonidas is a variant of Leonidus. One Latin interpretation is “having great strength.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Leonidas is a variant of Leonard. Leonard has been associated with Old French and Germanic naming traditions. Leonidas is a variant of Leonidus. An origin associated with Leonidus is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Ancient Greek Λεωνίδᾱς (“son of Leon / lion”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Leonidas is a variant of Leonard. The history of Leonard gives this family its wider story. Use of Leonard was revived during the 19th century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Leonidas through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,281
- 10,281 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 760 babies
- 2025
- 591
- #510 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 591 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 510 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (76). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,476 as a first name in 2020; 293 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.
Leonidas’s family of names
In English usage, Leonidas shares a linguistic root with the Latvian form Leonīds. Leonidas has a related form in Leonard. Leonidas has a related form in Leonidus.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Leonidas has relatives in 4 languages.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 19
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Leonidas
- Leonidas IKing of Sparta from c. 489 BC to 480 BC
- Leonidas IIKing of Sparta314 BC–234 BC
- Leonidas PyrgosGreek fencer1874–2000
- Leonidas StergiouSwiss association football playerborn 2002
- Leonidas of Rhodesancient victor in four Olympiads200 BC–200 BC
- Leonidas KavakosGreek violinist and conductorborn 1967
- Leonidas of Tarentumancient Greek poet319 BC–259 BC
- Leonidas PolkConfederate General (1806-1864)
- Leonidas Sabanisweightlifterborn 1971
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Leonidas, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Leonel
“resembling a lion” · “resembling a young lion”
>99% boys
Lukas
“a man from Lucania”
>99% boys
Leonardo
“having the strength of a lion”
>99% boys
Leandro
“lion” · “man”
>99% boys
Lucian
“surrounded by light”
>99% boys
Luciano
“surrounded by light”
>99% boys
Nash
“from the cliffs”
99% boys · 1% girls
Sylas
“a woodland dweller”
99% boys · 1% girls