Head to head · Boys' names
Leonardo vs Lincoln
#91 vs #69 in 2025
Lincoln is a whisker ahead (#69 vs #91 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Lincoln is stepping back from its peak, Leonardo is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Leonardo has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Lincoln leads 5 measures of 6; Leonardo leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Leonardo #936, Lincoln #623 — Lincoln higher
- 1890s: Leonardo —, Lincoln #559 — Lincoln higher
- 1900s: Leonardo #1048, Lincoln #583 — Lincoln higher
- 1910s: Leonardo #1130, Lincoln #517 — Lincoln higher
- 1920s: Leonardo #974, Lincoln #543 — Lincoln higher
- 1930s: Leonardo #998, Lincoln #651 — Lincoln higher
- 1940s: Leonardo #925, Lincoln #703 — Lincoln higher
- 1950s: Leonardo #780, Lincoln #809 — Leonardo higher
- 1960s: Leonardo #651, Lincoln #700 — Leonardo higher
- 1970s: Leonardo #515, Lincoln #734 — Leonardo higher
- 1980s: Leonardo #488, Lincoln #851 — Leonardo higher
- 1990s: Leonardo #359, Lincoln #828 — Leonardo higher
- 2000s: Leonardo #199, Lincoln #446 — Leonardo higher
- 2010s: Leonardo #117, Lincoln #93 — Lincoln higher
- 2020s: Leonardo #85, Lincoln #58 — Lincoln higher
Lincoln stood higher in 9 of 15 decades; Lincoln has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Leonardo | Lincoln |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #936 | #623 |
| 1890s | — | #559 |
| 1900s | #1048 | #583 |
| 1910s | #1130 | #517 |
| 1920s | #974 | #543 |
| 1930s | #998 | #651 |
| 1940s | #925 | #703 |
| 1950s | #780 | #809 |
| 1960s | #651 | #700 |
| 1970s | #515 | #734 |
| 1980s | #488 | #851 |
| 1990s | #359 | #828 |
| 2000s | #199 | #446 |
| 2010s | #117 | #93 |
| 2020s | #85 | #58 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Leonardo
Not charting outside the US.
Lincoln
- Canada#67
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Leonardo
Brave lion, or lion-strong
From the Germanic elements lewo, 'lion' (itself borrowed from Latin leo), and hard, 'brave, hardy, strong'.
Leonhard → Leonardus → Leonard → Leonardo
How it traveled
The name began as Germanic Leonhard and spread through Latin as Leonardus, largely on the strength of Saint Leonard of Noblac, a Frankish hermit venerated across medieval Europe as a protector of prisoners. Italian speakers reshaped it as Leonardo, and it took deep root in Tuscany and beyond — the Renaissance produced both Leonardo da Vinci and the humanist historian Leonardo Bruni.
Lincoln
Roman colony by the pool
The first element is Brittonic lindo, 'pool' — the Brayford Pool on the Witham; the second is Latin colonia, a settlement of Roman veterans. Together, Lindum Colonia, worn down over centuries to Lincoln.
Lindum Colonia → Lincoln (English city) → Lincoln (English surname) → Lincoln (given name)
How it traveled
The Romans founded a colonia at a Celtic settlement named for its pool, and the compound name survived the fall of the empire, Anglo-Saxon and Norse rule, and a thousand years of English speech to become the city and county of Lincoln. English families who lived there or came from there carried the place name as a surname, and it reached America with them in the colonial period.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Leonardo
lee-oh-NAR-doh
In Italian, Spanish and Portuguese the first vowel is closer to 'leh': leh-oh-NAR-do. Both are widely understood in the United States, and the spelling gives almost no one trouble.
- Leo — The most common short form in English, Italian and Spanish alike, and a well-established given name in its own right.
- Nardo — Informal, chiefly in Italian and Spanish-speaking families.
- Leon — Used informally in English; also a standalone given name with its own separate history.
- Lele — An Italian familiar form, used at home rather than on documents.
Lincoln
LINK-un
The second l is silent — LINK-un, not LIN-coln. Stress falls on the first syllable. Speakers of languages that pronounce every letter often say LIN-koln at first.
- Linc — The standard short form in American use, informal, rarely given on its own.
- Link — A phonetic short form, informal; also a name in its own right and familiar from video games.
- Lin — Less common, informal within families; stands alone as a name in several other traditions.
Who has carried each name
Leonardo
Leonardo da Vinci (b. 1452) — Painted the Mona Lisa, designed flying machines — the original Renaissance man
Leonardo DiCaprio (b. 1974) — Titanic star and Oscar winner
Lincoln
No documented entry for Lincoln yet.
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Leonardo if you want…
- a name fewer children share#91 in 2025 — leonardo will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name with more sound in itLeonardo runs 4 syllables, Lincoln 2
- a newer arrivalLeonardo entered the US charts in 1885
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 40% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 77% for Lincoln
Choose Lincoln if you want…
- a name most people already know#69 in 2025, 4,703 babies that year
- a name past its most crowded yearsLincoln is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesLincoln is 2 syllables to Leonardo's 4
- a name that charts abroad tooLincoln is on the national lists of Canada
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Leonardo
Strengths
- Spelled identically in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English, so it crosses borders and family languages without adaptation.
- Comes with Leo already attached — a short form so established it works as a full name on its own.
- A documented record running from medieval saints' calendars through the Renaissance to the present day, unbroken.
To consider
- The associations are enormous: a Renaissance polymath and a very famous living actor. Your son will hear about both, probably often.
- Leonardo is also one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which schoolchildren tend to know before they know the painter.
- Most people will reach for Leo within a week, and Leo is currently well used on its own — so the nickname may feel less distinctive than the full name.
Lincoln
Strengths
- A spelling almost every English speaker already knows from maps, history books and coins, so it is written correctly on the first try.
- Two established short forms in genuine use, Linc and Link, without anyone needing to invent one.
- In continuous use as an American given name for well over a century, so it has a record rather than a moment.
To consider
- The presidential association is permanent and loud: pennies, the Memorial, the Gettysburg Address, a car brand, a toy log set. Your child will hear all of it.
- Almost everyone who carries it is a child, so it reads as distinctly young — there are very few adult Lincolns to grow into.
- Non-English speakers regularly say LIN-koln, since the silent second l is not obvious from the spelling.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Leonardo
40%chance Leonardo feels dated by 2040
Leonardo sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Lincoln
77%chance Lincoln feels dated by 2040
Lincoln is coming down from a big peak (#40 in 2020). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Leonardo and Lincoln in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Leonardo and Lincoln?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Leonardo and Lincoln — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Leonardo or Lincoln — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Leonardo or Lincoln?
- Lincoln, in 2025: Lincoln ranked #69 with 4,703 babies; Leonardo ranked #91 with 3,789 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Leonardo or Lincoln?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Leonardo moved down 5 places; Lincoln moved down 29 places.
- Which is the older name, Leonardo or Lincoln?
- Leonardo entered the US charts in 1885; Lincoln was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Lincoln is the older name.
- How many people are named Leonardo and Lincoln?
- About 93,000 people named Leonardo are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 100,000 people named Lincoln are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Leonardos or Lincolns in the classroom?
- Leonardo will almost certainly be the only one in school. Lincoln will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Leonardo, Lincoln and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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