Total births
113,330
Girls' name · since 1880
Leona
Leona has 113,330 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #487
- among girls today
- 113,330
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
113,330 babies have been named Leona since 1880, making it today's #487 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leona has been recorded 113,330 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #487 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #487 among girls today
- 113,330 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Leona is currently the #487 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 113,330 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #487
- among girls today
- 113,330
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Leona vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#487
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Leona was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
3,335 babies were named Leona in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Leona compares
113,330 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Leona's all-time total is 297x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leona | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 113,330 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,335 | 48 | 19,840 |
Leona's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Leona's full recorded timeline at 1953, 19% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 81% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1994, with just 74 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 3,335 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Leona at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#487
Active since
1880
Leona popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 3,335
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Leona popularity over time - boys
294 total births recorded since 1901 (Leona as boys' name)
Leona by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Leona's strongest decade.
26,031 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Leona births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,151
1880s
2,151 births
- 1890s 5,083
1890s
5,083 births
- 1900s 9,848
1900s
9,848 births
- 1910s
1910s
23,825 births
- 1920s
1920s
26,031 births
- 1930s
1930s
14,173 births
- 1940s 9,028
1940s
9,028 births
- 1950s 5,641
1950s
5,641 births
- 1960s 3,695
1960s
3,695 births
- 1970s 2,024
1970s
2,024 births
- 1980s 1,355
1980s
1,355 births
- 1990s 935
1990s
935 births
- 2000s 1,487
2000s
1,487 births
- 2010s 4,297
2010s
4,297 births
- 2020s 3,757
2020s
3,757 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 26,031 births (23% of all-time use).
How Leona compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Leona's total volume
Leona vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Leona by state
Where Leona concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 7,561 | 6.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 5,804 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 5,605 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 5,105 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 4,596 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 4,259 | 3.8% |
| #7 | California | | 4,091 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 3,234 | 2.9% |
Pennsylvania share of Leona's total US births 6.7%
Even split
7,561 of 113,330 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Leona appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Leona? ▼
Leona has been given to 113,330 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #487 as of the latest data. 3,335 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Leona most popular? ▼
Leona was most popular in the 1920s decade with 26,031 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Leona most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Leona are Pennsylvania (7,561 births), New York (5,804 births), Illinois (5,605 births).
How long has the name Leona been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Leona since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Leona? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leola, Leora, Leota, Leonora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Leona's data
- Leona's decade-level peak was the 1920s (26,031 total births); usage has since declined to 3,757 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Leonas (7,561 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Leona
Nearby Names Like Leona
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leona
Leola Girl
#6168 28,129 births
Leora Girl
#1520 12,119 births
Leota Girl
#13481 10,447 births
Leonora Girl
#2082 7,504 births
Leone Girl
#15305 6,182 births
Compare Leona side by side: Leona vs Leola Leona vs Leora Leona vs Leota
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leona
Cameron #486
32,235 births · Peak 1999
Maddison #488
24,063 births · Peak 2009
Felicity #485
18,559 births · Peak 2017
Kora #489
9,541 births · Peak 2022
Paris #484
33,663 births · Peak 2004
Scarlet #490
17,709 births · Peak 2015
Rylie #483
23,271 births · Peak 2008
Mariam #491
18,555 births · Peak 2024
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. "Leona: #487 Girls' Name - 113,330 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/leona. 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 Leona 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.