Lionel

Latin

"young lion"

Lionel Origin and Meaning

The name Lionel is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "young lion".

Lionel is one leonine name that hasn't taken off as cousins Leo and Leonardo have, though it did reenter the Top 1000 in 2010 after several years away; it was at its highest point in the 1920s and 1930s.

This French diminutive of Leon has had many worthy namesakes over time, including Sir Lionel, a Knight of the Round Table, actor Barrymore, critic Trilling, musicians Hampton and Richie, Argentine Olympic footballer Messi, and characters in numerous movies and TV shows such as gruff but loveable Lionel Hardcastle in the Judi Dench comedy As Time Goes By. Real life Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue was portrayed in The King's Speech.

Lionel Barrymore, of the famed theatrical family, was a mainstay of Golden Age Hollywood films, and kids might like the association to Lionel trains.

This is a timeless choice worth considering.

Lionel Rank in US Top 1000

# 561 in the US

Lionel Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 435 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Lionel

• 561 US 2024
• 435 Nameberry 2025
• 354 Future 2028
• 166 Germany 2016
• 70 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Lionel

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

• Solomon
• Augustine
• Claude
• Luther
• Cecil
• Sylvester
• Nigel
• Edmond
• Fergus
• Oswald
• Darcy
• Seymour
• Virgil
• Klaus
• Clarence
• Roland
• Lloyd
• Pascal
• Gilbert
• Clement

Famous People Named Lionel

• Lionel Brockman Richie American R&B singer,songwriter
• Lionel Leo Hampton American jazz musician
• Lionel Dotson American football player
• Lionel Andrés Messi (Cuccittini) Argentine footballer
• Lionel Herbert Barrymore American actor
• Lionel Jospin Prime Minister of France
• Lionel Charles Hamilton Palairet English cricketer
• Lionel Eugene Hollins American basketball player
• Lionel Bart British composer
• Lionel George Logue Australian speech therapist who treated King George VI; portrayed in movie "The King's Speech"
• Lionel Edmund Rose Australian boxer
• Lionel of Antwerp 1st Duke of Clarence, son of King Edward III of England
• Lionel Charles Jeffries English actor
• Lionel Blair (born Henry Lionel Ogus) British actor and dancer
• Lionel Frost Bowen 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
• Lionel Jay Stander American actor
• Lionel James "L Train" Simmons, American basketball player
• Lionel Thomas Taylor American NFl football player
• Lionel Allen Sheldon U.S. Congressman and governor of New Mexico Territory

The name Lionel in Pop Culture

• Sir Lionel knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend
• Lionel Hutz character on TV's "The Simpsons"
• Lionel Lockridge character on American soap "Santa Barbara"
• Lionel Skeggins character on New Zealand soap "Shortland Street"
• "The Story of Lionel and Arabella " English fictional work of 1756
• Lionel Luthor character on TV's "Smallville"
• Lionel Jefferson character on TV's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
• Professor Lionel Stokesay fictional archaeologist in "Anglo,Saxon Attitudes" (1956) by Angus Wilson
• Lionel Fusco character on TV's "Person of Interest"
• Lionel Dresden character in film "Because I Said So"
• Lionel Vickars main character in G. A. Henty's "By England's Aid"
• Lionel Bishop character in Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom
• Lionel lion character in Disney's "Dumbo's Circus"
• Lionel brand of toy trains
• Lionel Warhammer

International Variations of the name Lionel

• Lyonell French
• Leonello French
• Leonila French
• Linnellio French
• Lionello French
• Lionellu French
• Lionnel French
• Lyonell French
• Leonel Spanish