Lionel is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lionel means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lionel across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lionel has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lionel is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “little lion”. A French diminutive of Leon.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 33,833 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 397 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 23 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 Lionel per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2023 (609/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (38/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1967 (5/yr).
Lionel is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2023, when it ranked #1,003 nationally (given to 636 babies that year).
Leonel · Lynell · Linell · Lanell · Leonela · Lionell · Lenell · Leonila
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