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First name origins & meanings:

  1. Greek: Lion
  2. German: Lion-hearted
  3. Italian: Fierce one from Naples
  4. African American: Lion in a new city

First name variations: Leo, Leone, Leonidas, Leosko, Leonato, Lennard, Lenard, Lennart, Leonardo, Leonhard, Leo, Lennie, Lenny, Len, Lénárd, Leonárd, Leó, Leonard, Nappie, Nappy, Nap, Leo, Napoleon

Last name origins & meanings:

  1. Spanish (León): habitational name from León, a city in northwestern Spain, named with Latin legio, genitive legionis ‘legion’, a division of the Roman army. In Roman times the city was the garrison of the 7th Legion, known as the Legio Gemina. The city’s name became reduced from Legion(em) to Leon(em), and in this form developed an unetymological association with the word for ‘lion’, Spanish león.
  2. Spanish: from the personal name León, from Greek leōn ‘lion’ (see Lyon 2). Leon is also found as a Greek family name.
  3. Spanish: nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, from león ‘lion’.
  4. French (Léon) and English: variant of Lyon.

This name appears in the following lists: Heroes and Heroines, Pioneers/Explorers