UK boy's name
Leonardo
A masculine given name of Italian origin meaning "brave lion.".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Leonardo is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Leonardo popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #124, with 439 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 504 births.
This profile covers 6,821 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 87% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 7,061 living people in the UK are called Leonardo. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Leonardo ranked #124 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 439 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 504 boys were registered as Leonardo.
- • Leonardo ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #234 in 2024.
- • About 7,061 living people in the UK are estimated to have Leonardo as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#124
2024
Births in 2024
439
Latest year
Peak year
2018
504 births
Estimated living
7,061
2026
Meaning
What does Leonardo mean?
The name Leonardo has its origins in the Italian language, derived from the Italian and Medieval Latin words "leon" meaning lion and "ardo" meaning bold or hardy. It emerged during the Middle Ages in Italy as a given name bearing the meaning "brave as a lion" or "lion-hearted".
The earliest known record of the name Leonardo dates back to the late 11th century, with mentions in Italian historical documents and records from various communes and cities. One of the earliest notable individuals bearing this name was Leonardo da Vinci, the renowned Italian polymath, artist, and Renaissance figure, born in 1452 in Vinci, near Florence, and who passed away in 1519.
Over the centuries, the name Leonardo has been associated with several other influential individuals across various fields. Leonardo Fibonacci, the Italian mathematician who introduced the Fibonacci sequence to the Western world, lived from around 1170 to 1240. Leonardo Bruni, an Italian humanist and historian, was a prominent figure of the Renaissance, born in 1370 and died in 1444.
In the realm of art and literature, Leonardo da Vinci stands out as one of the most iconic bearers of this name, renowned for his masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Another notable figure was Leonardo da Porto Maurizio, an Italian Catholic preacher and saint who lived from 1676 to 1751.
The name Leonardo has also been carried by notable figures in science and exploration. Leonardo Torriani, an Italian mathematician and astronomer, lived from 1559 to 1628 and made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Leonardo Murialdo, an Italian priest and saint, lived from 1828 to 1900 and is revered for his work in education and social welfare.
While the name Leonardo has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with various spellings and adaptations in different languages. However, the essence of its meaning, "brave as a lion," has remained a common thread throughout its history, making it a name often associated with courage, strength, and determination.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Leonardo over time
The chart below shows babies named Leonardo registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Leonardo, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 439 births in 2024, compared with 504 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leonardo by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Leonardo was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #123 | 2,243 | 5 |
| 2010s | #174 | 3,485 | 10 |
| 2000s | #364 | 957 | 10 |
| 1990s | #762 | 136 | 4 |
Geography
Where Leonardo is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Leonardo. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Leonardo ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #234 in 2024.
Across the UK
Leonardo in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#234 in 2024
21 years of NRS records, 228 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#256 in 2024
11 years of NISRA records, 54 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Leonardo
-
Leonardo Castillejo
physicist
physicist
1924-1995
-
Leonardo di Reresby
english crusader and folk saint
?-1300
Related
Names similar to Leonardo
- Luke 72,247
- Lewis 69,555
- Leo 63,249
- Liam 60,482
- Lucas 49,061
- Logan 40,771
- Louis 35,898
- Luca 30,323
- Louie 24,242
- Leon 22,308
- Levi 9,931
- Lee 7,861
FAQ
Leonardo: questions and answers
How popular is the name Leonardo in the UK right now?
In 2024, Leonardo was ranked #124 for boys in England and Wales, with 439 births registered.
When was Leonardo most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 504 babies registered as Leonardo in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Leonardo?
A masculine given name of Italian origin meaning "brave lion.".
How many people are called Leonardo in the UK?
A total of 6,821 babies have been registered as Leonardo across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 228 more in Scotland and 54 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Leonardo most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Leonardo ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #234 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.