Leopold
Masculine · “bold among the people”
Leopold looks like a lion but is not — the first element is Germanic leud, a people, and the lion was read into it centuries later.
How old is the name Leopold?
Leopold was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Leopold alive today was born around 1974, making them about 51 years old. About 2,400 people named Leopold are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Leopold most popular?
Leopold peaked in 1895, reaching #579 nationally. Today it ranks #1992, 1,413 places below that high. See the whole 1895 chart.
Leopold appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From leud bald to Leopold
The story of Leopold
Leopold III of Austria was canonized in 1485 and is the country's patron. Two kings of Belgium carried the name, the first a constitutional monarch and the second the private owner of the Congo Free State. Bloom in Joyce's Ulysses is Leopold. The name appears in American records rising and in current use.
Meaning
bold among the people
From the Germanic leud, 'people', and bald, 'bold' or 'brave'. The Latin form Leopoldus was reshaped toward leo, 'lion', by scribes who saw one there — a folk etymology that stuck. The original elements are ordinary and the reading is documented.
How the name formed
- leud bald
- Liutbald
- Leopold
Related forms: Leopold · Leopoldo · Leopoldo
Pronouncing Leopold
LEE-oh-pold
Three syllables, stress on the first. German says LAY-oh-polt with a harder final consonant.
Nicknames for Leopold
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 boys named
- 2017106 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #579reached in 1895
- Change vs 2022
- −26.2%76 in 2025, from 103
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.
Leopold in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Leopold in German — same name
- Leopoldo in Italian — related form
- Leopoldo in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Wisconsin.
Leopolds among us
people named Leopold are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 22,475 born in 2025 was named Leopold
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
Leopold 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 Leopold is headed
Leopold is easing off slowly — about 17% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
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.
Leopold beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Leopold in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the lion was read into the name by mistake is a first-rate piece of history.
- Leo is available as a short form that is fully current.
- The bold-among-the-people meaning is transparent and strong.
- The second Belgian king of the name has a very dark historical record.
- Three syllables and a distinctly grand register.
- The lion is not actually in the name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Leopold
Masculine · #1992 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Leopolds are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,400 people named Leopold are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Leopold in 2025?
- Leopold ranks #1992 among US boy names in 2025, with 76 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Leopold?
- About 1 in every 22,475 US boys born in 2025 was named Leopold — 76 in all.
- Will my child share the name Leopold with classmates?
- Leopold will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Leopold
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Buck#1992 · Exodus#1992 · Cadence#1992 · Hashim#1992 · Ori#1992 · Paolo#1992 · Abubakr#1992 · Chosyn#1992
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Leopold? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Leopold and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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