Given name & surname · also Germanic
Leopold
“a bold ruler of the people”
Leopold is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “a bold ruler of the people.” Its derivation is not certain.
Original GermanLeo
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “a bold ruler of the people.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Its Germanic formation brings together liut (“people”) and bold (“bold, brave”).
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.
From dated birth records
Leopold through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,043
- 4,043 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2020
- 120 babies
- 2025
- 76
- #2,001 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −18%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 76 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,001 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Wisconsin had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,449 as a first name in 2020; 4,084 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.
Leopold’s family of names
In Slovak usage, Leopold has a diminutive in Leo. Leopold shares a linguistic root with Leopoldo. In Polish usage, Leopold has a conventional equivalent in the Lithuanian form Leopoldas.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Leopold has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
14 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 19
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Leyopôlequivalent
- Léopoldcognate · French
- Leopoldafeminine form
- LeopoldusLatin
- ΛεοπόλδοςGreek
- ЛеопольдRussian
- LipótHungarian
- LeopoldasLithuanian
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People named Leopold
- Leopold II of BelgiumKing of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909 (1835–1909)
- Leopold I of BelgiumGerman prince who became the first King of the Belgians (1790–1865)
- Leopold I, Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman Emperor (1658-1705), King of Hungary and Croatia and King of Bohemia (lived 1640-1705)
- Leopold von RankeGerman historian and founder of modern source-based history (1795-1886)
- Leopold III of Belgiumking of the Belgians from 1934 to 1951 (1901–1983)
- Leopold II, Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman Emperor from 1790 to 17921747–1792
- Leopold MozartGerman composer (1719–1787)
- Leopold RužičkaCroatian scientist (1887-1976)
- Leopold KroneckerGerman mathematician who worked on number theory and algebra (1823–1891)
Characters named Leopold: Leopold Bloom (fictional protagonist of James Joyce's novel Ulysses), Leo Fitz (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. character), Goenitz (The King of Fighters).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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