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Leonidas

OriginGreek
Meaning"lion"
US Rank#510

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 #532.

Editor: Pamela Redmond

Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.

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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"

Leonidas in blog posts

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