Leonidas
Top 1000
About Leonidas
Leonidas is an ancient name that has started rising again along with centuries-old names such as Augustus and Cato. The original Leonidas was the most famous of Sparta's warriors, sacrificing his life at the Battle of Thermopylae; there is also a saint Leonidas.
More stately than Leon, more melodious than Leonard, Leonidas is a leonine name that commands respect. In Greek, the name is pronounced leh-oh-NEE-das, but Americans tend to say lee-oh-NYE-dus.
Pronounced lee-AH-nuh-dus.
As of October 2026, Leonidas ranked #510 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #421 in 2022, Nameberry popularity #522.
Editor's take: The name Leonidas is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "lion".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #558 | 494 | 257.2 |
| 2015 | #518 | 556 | 290.1 |
| 2016 | #505 | 593 | 312.5 |
| 2017 | #498 | 582 | 314.4 |
| 2018 | #504 | 569 | 313.3 |
| 2019 | #482 | 607 | 338.3 |
| 2020 | #457 | 649 | 376 |
| 2021 | #446 | 687 | 392.7 |
| 2022 | #421 | 758 | 434.1 |
| 2023 | #475 | 638 | 373 |
| 2024 | #508 | 597 | 346.5 |
| 2025 | #510 | 591 | 346 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Leonidas on lists
Famous Leonidass
- Leonidas I and II
Kings of Sparta
- Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney
American actor
- Leonidas Polk
American Confederate Civil War general
- Leonidas E. "Lonie" Paxton
American NFL football player
- Leonidas da Silva
Brazilian footballer
- Leonidas Donskis
Lithuanian politician
- Leonidas Sabanis
Greek Olympic weightlifter
- Leonidas Sexton
U.S. Congressman from Indiana
- Leonidas Flores (Reyes)
Costa Rican footballer
- Leonidas Carstarphen Dyer
U.S. Congressman from Missouri
- Dimitri Leonidas
English actor
- Georgina Leonidas
English actress
Leonidas in pop culture
- Leonidas
Belgian chocolate
- Leonidas Komninos
character in "Thread" by Victoria Hislop
- Leonidas "Leo" Valdez
character of the series "Heroes of Olympus" and "Trials of Apollo" by Rick Riordan
- King Leonidas
main character in the movie "300"