UK girl's name
Leonie
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "lion-like" or "lioness".
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.
Leonie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Leonie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #722, with 52 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 164 births.
This profile covers 2,596 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 32% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,869 living people in the UK are called Leonie. 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
- • Leonie ranked #722 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 52 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 164 girls were registered as Leonie.
- • Leonie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #351 in 2007.
- • About 2,869 living people in the UK are estimated to have Leonie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#722
2024
Births in 2024
52
Latest year
Peak year
1999
164 births
Estimated living
2,869
2026
Meaning
What does Leonie mean?
The name Leonie is a feminine given name of French origin. It is derived from the Greek name Leontios, meaning "lion". The name can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was used as a masculine name.
In ancient Greek mythology, the lion was a symbol of strength, courage, and royalty. The name Leontios was often given to sons who were expected to grow up to be brave warriors or leaders. Over time, the name evolved into the French feminine form Leonie.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Leonie dates back to the 12th century. In 1158, a woman named Leonie de Montfort was mentioned in a French historical record. She was the daughter of Simon III de Montfort, a prominent French nobleman.
In the 19th century, the name Leonie gained popularity in France and other European countries. One notable bearer of the name was Leonie Aviat (1844-1914), a French Catholic nun who founded the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales. She was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1992.
Another famous Leonie was Leonie Gilmour (1902-1988), an American educator and author. She was a pioneer in the field of early childhood education and wrote several books on the subject, including "The Montessori System of Education" (1914).
In the realm of literature, the name Leonie appears in the works of French novelist Marcel Proust. In his novel "In Search of Lost Time", one of the central characters is named Leonie Deleuville, the aunt of the narrator.
Other notable figures named Leonie include Leonie Rysanek (1926-1998), an Austrian operatic soprano who performed at major opera houses around the world, and Leonie Ossowski (1925-2019), a German writer and journalist who was known for her work on human rights and social justice issues.
The name Leonie has maintained a presence throughout history, with its roots in ancient Greek culture and its enduring popularity in France and other parts of Europe. While it may not be as common today as some other names, Leonie continues to be a name that carries a sense of strength and nobility.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Leonie over time
The chart below shows babies named Leonie 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 Leonie, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 52 births in 2024, compared with 164 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leonie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Leonie 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 | #693 | 272 | 5 |
| 2010s | #729 | 553 | 10 |
| 2000s | #362 | 1,207 | 10 |
| 1990s | #272 | 564 | 4 |
Geography
Where Leonie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Leonie. 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.
Leonie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #351 in 2007.
Across the UK
Leonie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#638 in 2024
43 years of NRS records, 278 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#351 in 2007
4 years of NISRA records, 13 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Leonie
-
Leonie Gerken Schofield
freestyle skier
British freestyle skier
1998-
-
Leonie Hendrickson
military athlete; cross-country skier; biathlete
British biathlete and cross-country skier
1990-
-
Leonie Elliott
actor; film actor
British actress
1988-
-
Leonie Hampton-Purchas
photographer
British photographer
1978-
-
Leonie Schroder
British heiress and businesswoman
1974-
-
Leonie Barron
rower
British rower
1970-
-
Leonie Cooper
politician
British politician (born 1959)
1959-
-
Leonie Mellinger
actor; film actor
British actress
1959-
Related
Names similar to Leonie
- Lily 72,956
- Lucy 70,663
- Lauren 50,664
- Leah 33,185
- Lola 24,525
- Layla 24,520
- Laura 23,471
- Lilly 21,714
- Lydia 18,353
- Libby 14,515
- Lara 13,415
- Lacey 13,406
FAQ
Leonie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Leonie in the UK right now?
In 2024, Leonie was ranked #722 for girls in England and Wales, with 52 births registered.
When was Leonie most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 164 babies registered as Leonie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Leonie?
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "lion-like" or "lioness".
How many people are called Leonie in the UK?
A total of 2,596 babies have been registered as Leonie across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 278 more in Scotland and 13 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Leonie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Leonie ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #351 in 2007. 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.