Leonie
Feminine · “lioness”
Léonie is a lioness in Latin — from leo — and the lion's name came into Greek and Latin from a Semitic source.
How old is the name Leonie?
Leonie was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Leonie alive today was born around 1984, making them about 41 years old. About 1,400 people named Leonie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Leonie most popular?
Leonie peaked in 1886, reaching #540 nationally. Today it ranks #2276, 1,736 places below that high. See the whole 1886 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From leo to Leonie
The story of Leonie
Lions were not native to Greece or Italy in historical times, and the word came west with the animal's reputation from the Near East — the Greek leon is a loanword. Léonie is standard in French and German naming and appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
lioness
From the Latin leo, 'lion', through the French Léonie. Leo itself was borrowed into Greek and Latin from a Semitic word, related to the Hebrew lavi. The French feminine formation is transparent and the borrowing documented.
How the name formed
- leo
- Leonia
- Léonie
Related forms: Léonie · Leonie · Leona
Pronouncing Leonie
lay-oh-NEE
Three syllables, stress on the third. German Leonie is leh-OH-nee with the stress in the middle.
Nicknames for Leonie
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 202580 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #540reached in 1886
- Change vs 2022
- +45.5%80 in 2025, from 55
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Leonie in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Léonie in French — same name
- Leonie in German — same name
- Leona in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Leonies among us
people named Leonie are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 20,091 born in 2025 was named Leonie
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Leonie 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Leonie is headed
Leonie should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Leonie beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Leonie in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the Greek word for a lion is itself a Semitic loan is a first-rate etymology.
- Leo is available as a short form that is fully current.
- It is standard in French, German and Dutch naming.
- French and German stress it differently.
- The accent is usually dropped in American records.
- Leoni and Leonie are both in circulation.
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What they receive
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Leonie
Feminine · #2276 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Leonies are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Leonie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Leonie in 2025?
- Leonie ranks #2276 among US girl names in 2025, with 80 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Leonie?
- About 1 in every 20,091 US girls born in 2025 was named Leonie — 80 in all.
- Will my child share the name Leonie with classmates?
- Leonie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Leonie
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Sayla#2276 · Nyah#2276 · Analise#2276 · Johana#2276 · Lavinia#2276 · Haizley#2276 · Ollie#2276 · Jacquelyn#2276
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Leonie? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Leonie and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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