There are a lot of lion-themed names in fashion these days, and Lenna is one of the more unusual. It's a genuine European short form, ala Leni, given to about 100 baby girls in the US last year.

Leocadia marries a mix of sounds: the strength of a lion, with a rhythmic Latin ending.

A fairly common name in many Slavic countries, especially Russia – perhaps in part because it sounds close to the name of the country, although the two words are unrelated etymologically. The name Ruslan was used by Russian poet Alexander Pushkin for the hero of his epic poem Ruslan and Ludmila, based on Russian and Tatar folktales about the hero Yeruslan Lazarevich. Yeruslan or Uruslan is a Tatar name likely deriving from Turkic arslan "lion".

Better than Lenny, not as good as Leo, and tightly tied to Tonight Show host Jay Leno.

A name of Persian, Turkish, Kazakh, and Uzbek origin, Alisher can be considered a compound name, blending the popular Arabic name Ali with the Persian shir meaning "sublime lion", or a purely Persian choice meaning "brave prince".

If you like Dylan, Quinn, or Leo but find them too popular, Quillan could be a distinctive and interesting alternative. It is sometimes connected to the zodiac sign of Leo, making it a cool way to honor a someone born under the lion sign, or to mark your baby's birthdate if they're born between July and August.

Leya is a simple, attractive multicultural choice, but with some teasing peril. The "Star Wars" princess spelled her name Leia.

Attractive but uncommon name which has been used as a character name in several movies, including The Lion King II and Planet of the Apes. Ziri and Tiziri are variants.

Leontine is the French form of a name that's more familiar by its spelling variation Leontyne, the name made famous by opera diva Price. An obscure choice, Leontine nevertheless feels right for our lion-name-crazed moment.

A variation of Lionel that has made slow but substantial gains in recent years, perhaps helped by the resurgence of Leo. It is also the Spanish and Portuguese variant.

Tau, rhyming with cow, is a simple straightforward name with roots in two languages and cultures, the Kaurna language spoken by indigenous Australian people or the African Tswana language, a Bantu language spoken by five million people.

Lovely, international, tea-scented possibility undiscovered by baby names.

Othniel is mentioned in the Bible and Tanakh (in the Book of Judges) where he is the first of the biblical judges mentioned. Othniel was related to Caleb, which might make these two names a nice biblically themed sib-set.

In the US this is likely to conjure zebras, lions and elephants on the Serengeti, but its original meaning "journey" broadens its wearability. Safari is a name common in Africa for babies born while their parents were on a journey.

Lionel is yet another traditional boy's name entering the girls' column--at least once-- via prizewinning novelist Lionel (born Margaret Ann) Shriver.

Lion is a masculine name taken straight from the name of the animal, associating it with strength, courage, and nobility across many cultures. With Germanic, French, and English language roots, Lion functions both as a standalone name and as a shortened form of names like Lionel.

Arisbeth is a name that feels poetic and fantastical like Arwen or Amoret, but equally familiar and sunny, like Marisol. It is in fact a name used primarily in Mexico and by Hispanic parents in the US, who've made it one of the hottest unique names.

Hamza was the legendary uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, hero of The Hamzanama, the Story of Hamza.

While it may look like a variation of popular Leo, Llio is in fact a Welsh name, derived from Gwenllian, the medieval name of a legendary princess who is a national heroine in Wales. Given to a small handful of girls most years in Wales — three in a recent count — the double L sound is hard to translate into English because it is specifically Welsh.

Names ending in -iel are very much in for boys at the moment and Yariel is another to consider. Likely deriving from Ariel, it gets you the same lion-inspired meaning without such a close tie to Disney's Little Mermaid.