Boys' name · since 1880
Leonard
294,334 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.
- #124 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #637 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 294,334
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Leonard is the #637 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 294,334 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Leonard recorded 294,334 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #637 nationally today, ahead of 95% 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.
- #124 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #637 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 294,334 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leonard ranks #124 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #637 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 294,334 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #124 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #637 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 294,334
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Leonard's 294,334 recorded births place it above 99.72% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Leonard compares
294,334 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Leonard's all-time total is 798x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leonard | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 294,334 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,650 | 34 | 22,252 |
Leonard's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Leonard's full recorded timeline at 1953, 34% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 66% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 200 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 5,650 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Leonard popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 5,650
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Leonard popularity over time - girls
1,412 total births recorded since 1892 (Leonard as girls' name)
Leonard by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (53,793 births, 18% of the file).
1920s was Leonard's strongest decade.
53,793 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Leonard births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,144
1880s
2,144 births
- 1890s 3,166
1890s
3,166 births
- 1900s 5,022
1900s
5,022 births
- 1910s
1910s
31,878 births
- 1920s
1920s
53,793 births
- 1930s
1930s
39,214 births
- 1940s
1940s
44,289 births
- 1950s
1950s
43,551 births
- 1960s
1960s
28,441 births
- 1970s 15,805
1970s
15,805 births
- 1980s 10,467
1980s
10,467 births
- 1990s 6,267
1990s
6,267 births
- 2000s 3,918
2000s
3,918 births
- 2010s 3,933
2010s
3,933 births
- 2020s 2,446
2020s
2,446 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 53,793 births (18% of all-time use).
How Leonard 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 Leonard's total volume
Leonard by state
Where Leonard concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 32,384 | 11.0% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 22,301 | 7.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 18,449 | 6.3% |
| #4 | California | | 16,851 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 13,782 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Texas | | 12,758 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 12,543 | 4.3% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 9,420 | 3.2% |
32,384 of 294,334 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? ▼
Where does Leonard sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Leonard most popular? ▼
Where is Leonard most popular? ▼
How long has the name Leonard been used? ▼
What names are similar to Leonard? ▼
What to do with Leonard's data
- Leonard's decade-level peak was the 1920s (53,793 total births); usage has since declined to 2,446 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Leonards (32,384 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 Leonard
Nearby Names Like Leonard
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leonard
Compare Leonard side by side: Leonard vs Leo Leonard vs Leon Leonard vs Leonardo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leonard
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Leonard: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
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 Leonard 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.