US rank #673 Boys' name Peak 1921 293,884 births

Leonard — #673 US boys' name

293,884 babies named Leonard in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s21441890s31661900s50221910s318781920s537931930s392141940s442861950s435531960s284391970s158031980s104671990s62682000s39182010s39332020s2000
#673
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

18% of everyone ever named Leonard was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

5,650 babies were named Leonard in 1921 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Leonard

The Social Security Administration has registered 293,884 babies named Leonard between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Leonard currently holds the #673 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 5,650 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Leonard performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 53,793 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Leonard shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 32,354 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Leonard in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Leonard 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 293,884 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.

Leonard at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

293,884

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

5,650 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#673

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Leonard popularity over time — boys

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

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1921)
5,650
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 200

Leonard popularity over time — girls

1,412 total births recorded since 1892 (Leonard as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,412 births
01020304050 198919771966195519441933192219111892 7

Leonard by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
53,793 births that decade — 18% of Leonard's all-time total
1880s21441890s31661900s50221910s318781920s537931930s392141940s442861950s435531960s284391970s158031980s104671990s62682000s39182010s39332020s2000

Leonard by state

Where Leonard concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Leonard
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
32,354 11.0%
#2 Pennsylvania
22,280 7.6%
#3 Illinois
18,429 6.3%
#4 California
16,807 5.7%
#5 Michigan
13,765 4.7%
#6 Texas
12,735 4.3%
#7 Ohio
12,522 4.3%
#8 New Jersey
9,409 3.2%
New York share of Leonard's total US births 11.0%
Even split

32,354 of 293,884 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Leonard appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Leonard?
293,884 babies have been named Leonard since 1880. It currently ranks #673 among boys. The peak year was 1921 with 5,650 births.
When was Leonard most popular?
Leonard was most popular in the 1920s decade with 53,793 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Leonard most popular?
The top states for the name Leonard are New York (32,354 births), Pennsylvania (22,280 births), Illinois (18,429 births).
How long has the name Leonard been used?
Leonard has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Leonard?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leo, Leon, Leonardo, Leonel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Leonard

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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.