US rank #141 Boys' name Peak 1924 180,022 births

Leon — #141 US boys' name

180,022 babies named Leon in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s14751890s21031900s28591910s152801920s255771930s230051940s235771950s213421960s138241970s98541980s76251990s51762000s50622010s117662020s11497
#141
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 99.0% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

14% of everyone ever named Leon was born in this single decade.

1924
Single peak year

2,677 babies were named Leon in 1924 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Leon

The Social Security Administration has registered 180,022 babies named Leon between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Leon currently holds the #141 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1924, when 2,677 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Leon performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 25,577 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Leon shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 15,067 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Leon in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Leon in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 180,022 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Leon at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

180,022

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1924

2,677 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#141

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Leon popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1924)
2,677
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 118

Leon popularity over time — girls

1,436 total births recorded since 1891 (Leon as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,436 births
01020304050 202219781965195219391926191318971891 6

Leon by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
25,577 births that decade — 14% of Leon's all-time total
1880s14751890s21031900s28591910s152801920s255771930s230051940s235771950s213421960s138241970s98541980s76251990s51762000s50622010s117662020s11497

Leon by state

Where Leon concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Leon
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
15,067 8.4%
#2 Texas
11,209 6.2%
#3 California
10,687 5.9%
#4 Pennsylvania
10,217 5.7%
#5 Illinois
7,234 4.0%
#6 Michigan
6,656 3.7%
#7 Georgia
6,523 3.6%
#8 Florida
6,167 3.4%
New York share of Leon's total US births 8.4%
Even split

15,067 of 180,022 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Leon appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Leon?
180,022 babies have been named Leon since 1880. It currently ranks #141 among boys. The peak year was 1924 with 2,677 births.
When was Leon most popular?
Leon was most popular in the 1920s decade with 25,577 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Leon most popular?
The top states for the name Leon are New York (15,067 births), Texas (11,209 births), California (10,687 births).
How long has the name Leon been used?
Leon has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Leon?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leonard, Leo, Leonardo, Leonel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Leon

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.