[ 2 syll. leo-nar(d), le-ona-rd ] The baby boy name Leonard is pronounced as LEHNahRD in English or LehAONaaRT in Polish †. Leonard is used chiefly in the English, German, and Polish languages, and it is derived from Germanic origins. Two-element name derived from the elements 'leon' meaning lion ; 'hart' meaning brave, hardy. The name was borne by Saint Leonard of Noblac (-559), who was a Frankish noble in the court of Clovis I. It was also famous from the Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The name was brought into England by the Normans, but did not appear commonly in the Middle Ages. It later enjoyed a significant revival in the 19th century. It is now also used by Jews. The name Leonarda (English) is the female form of Leonard. The name Leonard is used to a great extent; it has 70 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants used in English include Leanard, Lena, Lenard (also used in German), Lenel, Lenell, Lenn, Lennard (also used in Dutch, German, and Scandinavian), Lennel, Lennell, Lennerd, Lenni, Leno, Lenya, Leonardis, Leonardo (also used in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish), Leonart, Leondaus, Leonerd, Leonides, Leonis, Leonnard, Leontes, Leovard, Leovardo, Lernard, Lon, Lonard, Londard, Lonnard, Lonni, Lonnie, Lonny, Lonya, Lynard, Lynnard, and Lyonechka. Other English variants include the contractions Len, Leo (also used in Dutch, French, German, and Italian), and Leon (also used in French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, and Spanish), and the pet forms Lee, Lennie, and Lenny (also used in German). Foreign variants of Leonard include Laya (Russian), Leendert (Dutch), Lelle (Scandinavian), Lenhart (German), Lennart (German and Scandinavian), Lenne (Scandinavian), Lennert (German), Leobardo (Italian), Leonardino (Italian), Leonards (Lithuanian), Leonek (Polish), Leongard (Russian), Leonhard (German), Leonhards (Latvian), Leonid (Russian), Leonidas (Greek), Leonildo (Italian), Leons (Latvian), Léonard (French), Lienard (French), Lienhard (German), Linard (French), Linek (Polish), Lionardo (Italian), Lleonard (Catalan), Nardek (Polish), and Nenne (Scandinavian). Another foreign variant is the contraction Leen (Dutch). Leonard is a classic favorite. At present it is still fairly popular as a baby name for boys, though it was in more widespread use previously. At the height of its usage in 1920, 0.501% of baby boys were given the name Leonard. Its ranking then was #38. The baby name has since experienced a substantial loss in popularity, and is of occasional use in recent years. In 2010, its usage was only 0.019% and its ranking #628. Within the group of boy names directly linked to Leonard, Leonardo was the most popular. In 2010, its use outnumbered Leonard's by 7 times. Baby names that sound like Leonard include Lammert (Dutch and German), Lanward, Lanwerd, Lanworth, Lanworthe, Lenard (English and German), Lenhart (German), Lennard (Dutch, English, German, and Scandinavian), Lennart (German and Scandinavian), Lennerd, Lennert (German), Leonart, Léonard (French), Lienhard (German), Linard (French, German, and Rhaeto-Romanic), Lleonard (Catalan), Lonard, Lonnard, Lynard, and Lamorat. † Pronunciation for Leonard: L as in "lay (L.EY)" ; EH as in "ebb (EH.B)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; AH as in "mud (M.AH.D)" ; R as in "race (R.EY.S)" ; D as in "day (D.EY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; T as in "tee (T.IY)" Details of famous persons named Leonard: |
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