How Many People Are Named Leonard?
An estimated 131,475 people in the United States have the first name Leonard. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #411 overall. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 63 years old, and Leonard peaked in popularity in 1921 with 5,675 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Leonard as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Leonard paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Leonard is overwhelmingly male, 1,412 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Leonard has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
131,475
About 1 in 2,607 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
63
years old
Peak Year
1921
5,675 births
Total Registered
295,296
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Leonard
Leonard is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 295,296 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Leonard as a male name
Ranked #673 in 2024
404 male births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (5,650 births)
Leonard as a female name
Ranked #10,348 in 1989
7 female births in 1989
Peak: 1928 (42 births)
Leonard: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Leonard span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 54,111 babies were registered. Leonard has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Leonard by Decade
How has Leonard tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,144 | 2,144 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 3,173 | 3,166 | 7 | |
| 1900s | 5,040 | 5,022 | 18 | |
| 1910s | 32,025 | 31,878 | 147 | |
| 1920s | 54,111 | 53,793 | 318 | |
| 1930s | 39,421 | 39,214 | 207 | |
| 1940s | 44,438 | 44,286 | 152 | |
| 1950s | 43,732 | 43,553 | 179 | |
| 1960s | 28,604 | 28,439 | 165 | |
| 1970s | 15,931 | 15,803 | 128 | |
| 1980s | 10,558 | 10,467 | 91 | |
| 1990s | 6,268 | 6,268 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 3,918 | 3,918 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 3,933 | 3,933 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 2,000 | 2,000 | 0 | |
Leonard by State
Birth registrations for Leonard span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming. On average, about 5,512 Leonards were registered per state.
Leonard + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Leonard as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Leonard
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Leonard: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leonard?
We estimate approximately 131,475 people named Leonard are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,607 Americans share this first name.
Is Leonard a common name?
Leonard is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 295,296 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Leonard most popular?
Leonard reached peak popularity in 1921, when 5,675 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Leonard is approximately 63 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Leonard a male name?
Leonard is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Leonard Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Leonard Smith, Leonard Johnson, Leonard Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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