Leander

lee-AN-der

Greek

"lion-man"

Leander Origin and Meaning

The name Leander is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "lion-man".

Leander was once an almost unknown name, however, with the popularity of Leo and the rise of Leandro, it now feels like a perfectly accessible alternative to Leon or Alexander. In Greek legend, Leander was the powerful figure who swam across the Hellespont every night to visit his beloved Hero, a priestess of Venus.

Combining the Latin words Leo and Andros, this name has a cool, animal-related meaning, that lends it strength and bravery. A once familiar name in the US, it fell out of favor back in the 40s, though in the last decade, it has nearly doubled in use with almost 120 babies receiving the name in 2023.

While Leander is in the Norwegian Top 100 and the Nameberry Top 200, elsewhere, the Spanish variant Leandro or the French Leandre tend to be favored.

Leander Rank in US Top 1000

# 977 in the US

Leander Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 157 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Leander

• 157 Nameberry 2025
• 752 Unique 2024
• 193 Germany 2016

20 Names Similar to Leander

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

• Lorcan
• Emrys
• Evander
• Alaric
• Lysander
• Alastair
• Casimir
• Caius
• Amias
• Alistair
• Marius
• Cillian
• Oberon
• Auberon
• Stellan
• Idris
• Isidore
• Hadrian
• Dorian
• Cyril

Famous People Named Leander

• Saint Leander Bishop of Seville, circa 534,600, was instrumental in converting the Visigothic kings of Spain and Portugal
• Leander Starr Jameson 1st Baronet, 10th Prime Minister of the Cape Colony
• Leander "Lee" Adams Vice journalist and documentary maker
• Leander Adrian Paes Indian tennis player
• Leander Dendoncker Belgian footballer
• Leander Henry Perez American judge and politician from Louisiana
• Leander Babcock US Congressman from New York
• Leander Martin Cox US Congressman from Kentucky
• Leander James McCormick American inventor and businessman
• Leander Hamilton McCormick American inventor; son of the above
• Leander Jordan American NFL player

The name Leander in Pop Culture

• Leander Greek mythological figure who swam across the strait of Abydos to visit his lover Hero and was drowned one stormy night when he lost his way
• Daphne and Amy Leander characters in Lauren DeStefano's "The Internment Chronicles"
• Leander penniless and unworthy idealist posing as a nobleman in the Spanish comedy "Los intereses creados" (1908) by Jacinto Benavente
• Leander Sydnor character on the HBO drama The Wire
• Leander Cephas Whitlock character on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire"
• Leander Club founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non,academic club.
• Leander Texas
• Leander Danish baby and children's furniture company
• Leander Holmes Charlotte's uncle in the Charlotte Holmes novels by Brittany Cavallaro

International Variations of the name Leander

• Léandre French
• Léon French
• Leandros Greek
• Leandro Spanish