Leopold
About Leopold
An aristocratic and stately Germanic route to the popular Leo, Leopold is a royal name: Queen Victoria used it to honor a favorite uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium. These days, this royal tie may be seen as a drawback to the name, owing to the cruelty of King Leopold II's rule over the Congo, though it remains popular in Austria, Poland, and France (as Léopold).
Though Leopold sounds as if it might be a leonine name, it's not really a relative of such choices as Leon, and Leonard. Instead, it comes from the Germanic elements liut and bald meaning "people" and "brave" respectively. Originally spelled as Luitpold or Liupold, its spelling was altered to reflect the popularity and appeal of being connected to leo and the lionlike bravery it evokes.
In literature, the name is famous via Leopold Bloom, the central character of James Joyce's Ulysses and in music is associated with the distinguished conductor Leopold Stokowski. It also connected to St Leopold, the patron saint of Austria, step-parents, large families, and child death.
Like with many names, it has a variety of pronunciations depending on language and location. LEE-uh-pold or LEE-o-pold may be heard in English, while in Dutch and German, LEH-o-pawlt is used. In Polish, it's leh-AW-pawlt, in Slovak, it's LEH-aw-pawld, in Czech it's LEH-o-polt, and in French, it's LEH-AW-PAWLD.
In the US, Leopold rose up slightly during the late 2010s and early 2020s, reaching its all time American peak in 2018 when it was given to 114 boys. More recently, it has begun to decline again and was given to 72 boys in the latest count.
Nickname Leo might freshen it up (as Archie does Archibald), though Poldi is a German diminutive.
As of October 2026, Leopold ranked #2001 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #591 in 1895, Nameberry popularity #313.
Editor's take: The name Leopold is a boy's name of German origin meaning "brave people".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,053 | 69 | 35.9 |
| 2015 | #1,699 | 92 | 48 |
| 2016 | #1,714 | 91 | 48 |
| 2017 | #1,549 | 106 | 57.3 |
| 2018 | #1,509 | 114 | 62.8 |
| 2019 | #1,608 | 103 | 57.4 |
| 2020 | #1,443 | 120 | 69.5 |
| 2021 | #1,650 | 101 | 57.7 |
| 2022 | #1,670 | 103 | 59 |
| 2023 | #1,856 | 86 | 50.3 |
| 2024 | #2,082 | 72 | 41.8 |
| 2025 | #2,001 | 76 | 44.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Leopold.
- Cecil
- Claude
- Archibald
- Augustine
- Clement
- Clarence
- Hector
- Edgar
- Benedict
- Bartholomew
- Ernest
- Cornelius
- Oswald
- Edmund
- Eugene
- Solomon
- Lionel
- Barnaby
- Wilfred
- Barnabas
Leopold on lists
Famous Leopolds
- Leopold I
King of Belgium
- Leopold II (Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor)
King of Belgium
- Leopold III (Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubert Marie Michel)
King of Belgium
- Saint Leopold III
Margrave of Austria
- Saint Leopold Mandić
Croatian Capuchin friar
- Leopold Senghor
poet and first president of Senegal
- (Johann Georg) Leopold Mozart
German composer; father of W.A. Mozart
- Leopold Ružička
Croatian chemist; winner of the Nobel Prize
- Leopold George Duncan Albert
Prince of the UK; Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria
- Leopold Maximilian Joseph Maria Arnulf
Prince of Bavaria, WWI Field Marshal
- Leopold Clement Philipp August Maria
Prince of Saxe,Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony
- Léopold Ferdinand Élie Victor Albert Marie
Prince of Belgium, son and heir of King Leopold II
- Leopold (born Leopoldo Beniamino Giuseppe)
Prince of the Two Sicilies, Count of Syracuse
- Leopold Franz Julius
Prince of Saxe,Coburg and Gotha, Duke in Saxony
- Leopold Ritter von Sacher
Masoch, Austrian writer; root of the word "masochism"
- Leopold Stokowski
British orchestral conductor
- Leopold Morse
U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts
- Leopold Zunz
German rabbi; founder of the field of Jewish studies
- Aldo Leopold
American environmentalist
- Leopold Brodziński
Polish actor
- Leopold Staff
Polish poet
- Leopold Rupprecht Ludwig Ferdinand Adalbert Friedrich Maria
Prince of Bavaria, German racing drive
Leopold in pop culture
- Leopold Bloom
main character in James Joyce's 'Ulysses'
- Leopold Alexis Elijah Walker Gareth Thomas Mountbatten
Duke of Albany, main character in film "Kate & Leopold"
- Leopold "Butters" Stotch
character on TV's "South Park"
- Leopold von Flockenstuffen
character on British series "'Allo 'Allo!"
- Leopold "Leo" Fitz
character on TV's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D"
- Leopold
character on TV's "The Simpsons"
- Leopold Vermillion
character on anime series "Black Clover"
Variations & nicknames
- LuitpoldGerman
- LéopoldFrench
- LeopoldoSpanish
More nicknames
- Leo