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Leonidas as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Leonidas

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The baby name Leonidas is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˌliːəˈnɪdəs/ (LEE-ə-NID-əs); Modern Greek: /le.oˈniðas/ (leh-oh-NEE-thas).

Leonidas is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 4.0
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: English: /ˌliːəˈnɪdəs/ (LEE-ə-NID-əs); Modern Greek: /le.oˈniðas/ (leh-oh-NEE-thas)

What is the meaning of the name Leonidas ?

The baby name Leonidas is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˌliːəˈnɪdəs/ (LEE-ə-NID-əs); Modern Greek: /le.oˈniðas/ (leh-oh-NEE-thas).

Leonidas is Greek in Origin.

Leonidas stems from the Ancient Greek Λεωνίδας (Leōnídas), built on léōn “lion” plus the patronymic -idas, yielding the sense “son of the lion” or “lion-like.” The structure was common in Doric names and signaled ancestry or character. In Classical Greek, the name carried martial and noble associations through its leonine imagery.

Its most enduring bearer is Leonidas I, the Spartan king famed for Thermopylae (480 BCE), which kept the name alive in Greco-Roman and later Byzantine circles. Christian tradition preserves several saints named Leonidas, including the Alexandrian martyr and father of Origen. The name saw a neoclassical revival in the 18th–19th centuries and has recently resurfaced internationally, boosted by popular culture. Variants and cognates include Leonid (Russian/Ukrainian), Leónidas (Spanish), Leônidas (Portuguese), and Leonida (Italian/Romanian, also used as a feminine form). Common short forms are Leo and Leon.

Leonidas has the following similar or variant Names

Leonidas – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Boys 2025 #1 423
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 836
BI 0 #11 2 425
BI Boys 0 #30 14 917
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
DJ Boys 0 #36 1 657
GR Boys 0 #46 563 6,912
CY 0 #52 9 1,632
CY Boys 0 #62 83 3,473
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
GR 0 #71 70 3,911
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
EC 0 #113 9 2,502
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
Switzerland Boys 2024 #126 12 1,769
LT Boys 0 #129 22 2,166
CR 0 #162 4 5,526
Sweden Boys 2022 #165 18 1,509
PR Girls 0 #165 3 3,171
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AR 0 #191 3 2,915
EC Boys 0 #204 36 3,322
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
Canada Boys 2024 #258 49 2,588
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
GT 0 #294 21 5,948
PE Boys 0 #297 1,441 14,506
PE 0 #297 14 6,350
JP Boys 0 #300 4 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #303 3 6,530
CO Boys 0 #309 1,384 15,656
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
GT Boys 0 #333 146 7,625
BR 0 #335 11 5,969
PL Boys 0 #336 5 6,459
BO 0 #351 31 6,868
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
PA Boys 0 #360 125 9,305
CL Boys 0 #369 406 13,390
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
UY Boys 0 #383 17 5,922
France Boys 2021 #384 4 2,865
JO Boys 0 #388 2 7,057
CL 0 #392 20 6,867
PH Boys 0 #405 4 11,440
PA Girls 0 #410 72 9,861
BO Boys 0 #411 196 9,244
CR Boys 0 #420 68 10,188
PH Girls 0 #427 3 13,098
AR Boys 0 #428 40 7,628
United States Boys 2024 #436 597 7,044
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
CO 0 #456 25 7,768
RU Boys 0 #522 5 12,621
UY Girls 0 #533 4 6,731
CM Boys 0 #538 13 12,054
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
HK Boys 0 #554 4 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
CM Girls 0 #559 2 11,671
PS Boys 0 #560 2 10,655
KW Girls 0 #561 1 19,177
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
BR Boys 0 #570 187 12,213
CR Girls 0 #573 1 11,342
BO Girls 0 #574 38 9,488
AE Girls 0 #597 1 20,968
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
AR Girls 0 #624 7 8,289
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
Finland Boys 2026 #656 27 3,552
IQ Boys 0 #696 2 13,071
SG Boys 0 #734 6 17,960
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
KW Boys 0 #803 4 18,755
MX Boys 0 #812 173 16,355
CL Girls 0 #836 16 14,098
Spain Boys 0 #854 77 5,610
Germany Boys 0 #864 89 5,697
TN 0 #865 1 13,765
PE Girls 0 #868 76 14,861
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
NL Boys 0 #925 27 5,873
Spain Girls 0 #964 20 5,561
BR Girls 0 #986 7 12,708
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
CO Girls 0 #1,037 42 16,140
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
MY Girls 0 #1,072 1 24,821
MA 0 #1,116 13 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
ZA Boys 0 #1,165 14 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,175 8 25,439
TR 0 #1,192 20 19,440
DZ 0 #1,226 9 20,130
MX Girls 0 #1,262 6 17,781
IT Boys 0 #1,413 59 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,428 19 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,686 6 28,008

Leonidas is popular in 69 countries — most recent births per country:

France
United States
Switzerland
Canada
Sweden

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People also ask about Leonidas

Leonidas is predominantly a boy's name.
Leonidas is a 4 syllable name, pronounced English: /ˌliːəˈnɪdəs/ (LEE-ə-NID-əs); Modern Greek: /le.oˈniðas/ (leh-oh-NEE-thas).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Leónidas, Leônidas, Léonidas, Leonid, Leonide and Leoni.
Across languages, Leonidas has these equivalents: Lev (Slavic), Aryeh/Arieh (Hebrew), Ari (Hebrew), Singh (Sanskrit).
Yes, very popular — Leonidas ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Leonidas ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Leonidas's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #411 in 2013 to #384 in 2021 in France.