Total births
259,988
Boys' name · since 1880
Leo
259,988 babies named Leo in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #24
- among boys today
- 259,988
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other boys
259,988 babies have been named Leo since 1880, making it today's #24 boys' name.
Leo has 259,988 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #24 as of the latest data, more common than 99.8% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #24 among boys today
- 259,988 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
- 99.8% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Leo is currently the #24 boys' name in America, more common than 99.8% of boys - 259,988 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #24
- among boys today
- 259,988
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other boys
Leo vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#24
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.8% of names given to boys today.
2020s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Leo was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
8,293 babies were named Leo in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Leo compares
259,988 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Leo's all-time total is 708x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leo | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 259,988 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,293 | 23 | 22,252 |
Leo's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Leo splits its recorded history at 1953: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1881 (122 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 8,293 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Leo at a glance
Top 100 boys' namePeak year
2022
Current rank
#24
Active since
1880
Leo popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 8,293
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Leo popularity over time - girls
2,136 total births recorded since 1880 (Leo as girls' name)
Leo by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Leo's strongest decade.
47,481 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Leo births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,098
1880s
2,098 births
- 1890s 4,691
1890s
4,691 births
- 1900s 5,629
1900s
5,629 births
- 1910s
1910s
26,656 births
- 1920s
1920s
36,960 births
- 1930s
1930s
22,864 births
- 1940s 16,962
1940s
16,962 births
- 1950s 15,536
1950s
15,536 births
- 1960s 9,487
1960s
9,487 births
- 1970s 5,365
1970s
5,365 births
- 1980s 4,541
1980s
4,541 births
- 1990s 4,738
1990s
4,738 births
- 2000s 12,274
2000s
12,274 births
- 2010s
2010s
44,706 births
- 2020s
2020s
47,481 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 47,481 births (18% of all-time use).
How Leo compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Leo's total volume
Leo vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Leo by state
Where Leo concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 22,981 | 8.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 21,079 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 14,604 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Texas | | 13,797 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 13,398 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 13,007 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 10,580 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 9,289 | 3.6% |
California share of Leo's total US births 8.8%
Even split
22,981 of 259,988 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Leo appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Leo? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 259,988 babies named Leo. Today it holds rank #24 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2022, with 8,293 births.
When was Leo most popular? ▼
Leo was most popular in the 2020s decade with 47,481 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Leo most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Leo are California (22,981 births), New York (21,079 births), Pennsylvania (14,604 births).
How long has the name Leo been used? ▼
Leo has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Leo? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leonard, Leon, Leonardo, Leonel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Leo's data
- California records the most Leos (22,981 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Leo
Nearby Names Like Leo
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leo
Leonard Boy
#670 294,334 births
Leon Boy
#141 182,638 births
Leonardo Boy
#84 96,066 births
Leonel Boy
#317 27,067 births
Leonidas Boy
#510 10,281 births
Compare Leo side by side: Leo vs Leonard Leo vs Leon Leo vs Leonardo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leo
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Leo: #24 Boys' Name - 259,988 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/leo. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Leo draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.