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Leonardo

Italian and Spanish variation of Leonard, German
"brave lion"
Madison Dresler
By Madison Dresler
Updated Thu Jun 12 2025

Leonardo Origin and Meaning

The name Leonardo is a boy's name of Spanish, Italian origin meaning "brave lion".

For centuries this name was associated primarily with the towering figure of Italian Renaissance painter-scientist-inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and was scarcely used outside the Latin culture.

But then along came Leonardo DiCaprio, who was supposedly given the name because his pregnant mother felt her first kick while looking at a da Vinci painting in the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence, and who would make the name young and handsome and multi-cultural.

Leonardo is a popular choice among other attractive Italian and Spanish names for boys, and its cousin Leo is popular as well.

# 84 in the US

Leonardo Rank in US Top 1000

# 340 on Nameberry

Leonardo Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Leonardo

20 Names Similar to Leonardo

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Leonardo.

Famous People Named Leonardo

  • Leonardo Wilhelm "Leo" DiCaprio
    American actor
  • Leonardo da Vinci
    Renaissance artist and inventor
  • Leonardo Fibonacci
    Italian mathematician
  • Leonardo "Leo" Encinas Cruz
    son of actor Javier Bardem and actress Penelope Cruz
  • Leonardo Fortunato Ponti
    son of actress Sasha Alexander
  • Leonardo Toni (b. 2014)
    son of footballer Luca Toni and model Marta Cecchetto
  • Leonardo "Leo" Ángel Charles (b.2016)
    son of actor Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin
  • Leonardo Fábregas Semaan (b.2017)
    son of Spanish footballer Cesc Fábregas and girlfriend Daniella Semaan

The name Leonardo in Pop Culture

  • Leonardo
    one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
  • Leonardo "Leo" Wyatt
    character in TV show, Charmed
  • Leonardo "Leo" Watch
    character in Blood Blockade Battlefront

The name Leonardo in Nameberry Blog Posts