Leonel is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Leonel means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Leonel across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Leonel has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Leonel is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “little lion”. A Spanish and Portuguese form of Lionel, from Latin leo.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 27,072 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 178 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Leonel per year, United States (1910 to 2025). United States peaked in 2024 (1,084/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2023 (17/yr).
Leonel has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2024, when it ranked #624 nationally (given to 1,092 babies that year).
Lionel · Lynell · Linell · Lanell · Leonela · Lionell · Lenell · Leonila
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