Given name
Lyonel
“resembling a young lion”
Lyonel is a variant of Lionel. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a young lion.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lyonel is a variant of Lionel. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a young lion.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Lyonel 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 1925. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lyonel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 257
- 257 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,175 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,175 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 490 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lyonel’s family of names
In German usage, Lyonel has a related form in Leon. Lyonel has a related form in 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 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lyonel
- Lyonel FeiningerGerman-American painter (1871–1956)
- Lyonel TrouillotHaitian novelist and poetborn 1956
- Lyonel HildyardEnglish cricketer (1861-1931)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lyonel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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