Boys' name · since 1880
Leon
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 182,638 babies named Leon, peaking in 1924. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #201 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #138 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 182,638
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Leon currently ranks #138 among boys' names in America, with 182,638 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Leon recorded 182,638 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #138 nationally today, ahead of 99.0% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #201 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #138 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 182,638 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leon ranks #201 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #138 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 182,638 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #201 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #138 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 182,638
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Leon's 182,638 recorded births place it above 99.55% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Leon compares
182,638 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 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
Leon's all-time total is 495x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leon | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 182,638 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,677 | 34 | 22,252 |
Leon's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Leon's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 45% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 55%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 118 births recorded -- set against the 1924 peak of 2,677, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Leon popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 2,677
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Leon popularity over time - girls
1,436 total births recorded since 1891 (Leon as girls' name)
Leon by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (25,577 births, 14% of the file).
1920s was Leon's strongest decade.
25,577 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Leon births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,475
1880s
1,475 births
- 1890s 2,103
1890s
2,103 births
- 1900s 2,859
1900s
2,859 births
- 1910s
1910s
15,280 births
- 1920s
1920s
25,577 births
- 1930s
1930s
23,005 births
- 1940s
1940s
23,578 births
- 1950s
1950s
21,341 births
- 1960s
1960s
13,823 births
- 1970s 9,854
1970s
9,854 births
- 1980s 7,627
1980s
7,627 births
- 1990s 5,176
1990s
5,176 births
- 2000s 5,062
2000s
5,062 births
- 2010s
2010s
11,768 births
- 2020s
2020s
14,110 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 25,577 births (14% of all-time use).
How Leon 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 Leon's total volume
Leon by state
Where Leon concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 15,258 | 8.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 11,479 | 6.3% |
| #3 | California | | 11,110 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 10,306 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 7,320 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 6,730 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 6,575 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 6,323 | 3.5% |
15,258 of 182,638 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? ▼
Where does Leon sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Leon most popular? ▼
Where is Leon most popular? ▼
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What to do with Leon's data
- Leon's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (25,577 total births) through the 2020s (14,110) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Leons (15,258 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Leon
Nearby Names Like Leon
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leon
Compare Leon side by side: Leon vs Leonard Leon vs Leo Leon vs Leonardo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leon
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Leon: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Leon 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 August 2026.