Leandro
- Gender
- Male
- Meaning
- Lion
- Origin
- Spanish
About the Name Leandro
Leandro is the Spanish and Italian form of the ancient Greek name Leandros, composed of the elements leon ("lion") and aner ("man") — together signifying a man of lion-like courage or strength. The Greek mythological hero Leander, who swam the Hellespont each night to meet Hero, gave the name its earliest romantic resonance, and that combination of physical bravery and passionate devotion has followed the name through centuries of use across the Mediterranean world. In Spanish-speaking cultures the name has remained in steady circulation, bringing with it a warm, melodic four-syllable flow that feels both classical and approachable.
Leandro first entered the US Social Security top-1000 in 2005, reflecting the growing influence of Spanish-heritage naming on American birth records. From that point it climbed with remarkable consistency: in 2022, 541 boys received the name at rank #550; in 2023, that rose to 563 at rank #524; and in 2024 it reached its all-time best rank of #499 with 611 births — making 2024 the peak year for this name and signaling that its ascent may not yet be finished. Total top-1000 births across the tracked run now stand at 6,882.
The name's ongoing rise mirrors broader trends in American naming: Spanish-origin classics with strong etymological meanings and musical rhythm are winning increasing favor beyond Spanish-speaking households. Leandro carries the lion's courage in its meaning, the ancient Mediterranean sea in its myth, and an effortless elegance in its sound — a compelling combination for parents seeking a name with both roots and momentum.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Leandro
US Popularity History (2005–2025)
Annual US births named Leandro by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2025 with 785 boys named Leandro (boy rank #406 that year).
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
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Where in the US Is Leandro Most Popular?
Average boy-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Leandro the strongest states are New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida.
Strongest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | #357 | 222 |
| 2 | Connecticut | #370 | 50 |
| 3 | Florida | #407 | 402 |
| 4 | Nebraska | #416 | 24 |
| 5 | Nevada | #423 | 53 |
| 6 | California | #444 | 735 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | #444 | 112 |
| 8 | Texas | #463 | 690 |
| 9 | Washington | #526 | 112 |
| 10 | Kansas | #529 | 32 |
Weakest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | #844 | 48 |
| 2 | Tennessee | #804 | 24 |
| 3 | Minnesota | #773 | 18 |
| 4 | Alabama | #768 | 22 |
| 5 | Georgia | #763 | 105 |
| 6 | Indiana | #759 | 35 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | #733 | 25 |
| 8 | Colorado | #725 | 55 |
| 9 | North Carolina | #684 | 133 |
| 10 | Arizona | #681 | 66 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Leandro in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Looking for names like Leandro?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Leandro to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Leandro against today's most popular boys-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).