Given name & surname · also Old French
Lionel
“resembling a young lion”
Lionel is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a young lion.”
Original LatinLeo
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “resembling a young lion.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old French.
How it developed
Lionel is a diminutive of Leon. In English usage, Lionel developed from Leo.
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
Lionel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 33,833
- 33,789 boys · 44 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 609 babies
- 2025
- 419
- #659 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +11%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 419 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 659 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 11.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (88). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,014 as a first name in 2020; 228 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.
Lionel’s family of names
Lionel is a diminutive of Leon. In English usage, Lionel developed from the Latin form Leo. In English usage, Lionel has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Leonel.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lionel has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Lionel comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 19
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lionel
- Lionel MessiArgentine association football player (born 1987)
- Lionel RichieAmerican singer, songwriter and actorborn 1949
- Lionel Jospin93rd Prime Minister of France (1997–2002)1937–2026
- Lionel BarrymoreAmerican actor, director and screenwriter (1878–1954)
- Lionel ScaloniArgentine football coach (born 1978)
- Lionel HamptonAmerican jazz musician (1908–2002)
- Lionel RobbinsBritish economist (1898–1984)
- Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron RothschildBritish banker and zoologist (1868–1937)
- Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of ClarencePrince of England1338–1368
Characters named Lionel: Lionel Hutz (The Simpsons character), Lionel Luthor (Smallville).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Lionel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lucian
“surrounded by light”
>99% boys
Lorenzo
“man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel”
>99% boys
Romeo
“pilgrim to Rome”
>99% boys
Tadeo
“having heart”
>99% boys
Rio
“woman of the river” · “from the river”
79% boys · 21% girls
Axel
“source of life; small oak” · “axe”
>99% boys
Augustus
“one who is venerable; majestic”
>99% boys
Boone
“a good man”
>99% boys