Boys' name · peaked in 1903
Leo name popularity since 1925
202,061 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Leo (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 2004 or earlier, so the typical Leo is about 22 years old in 2026. Leo peaked in 1903 as the #38 name for boys, and it ranked #19 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 202,061
- Named Leo, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1903
- #38 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #19
- for boys in 2025 (8,173 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 1,131 girls · 200,930 boys
- Most popular in
- Rhode Island
- 2.34× its national share
Peak year is the year Leo made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Leo births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2022. Measured as a share of all babies, Leo peaked earlier, in 1903.
- Fastest rise: Between 2010 and 2015, Leo became 2.4× more common, from 1 in 986 baby boys to 1 in 416.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Leo's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Leo.
Decade by decade
Babies named Leo in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 235 | 16,976 | – |
| 1930s | 219 | 22,864 | #92 |
| 1940s | 113 | 16,962 | #139 |
| 1950s | 82 | 15,536 | #175 |
| 1960s | 52 | 9,487 | #247 |
| 1970s | 54 | 5,365 | #336 |
| 1980s | 42 | 4,541 | #405 |
| 1990s | 11 | 4,738 | #486 |
| 2000s | 38 | 12,274 | #259 |
| 2010s | 121 | 44,706 | #91 |
| 2020–25 | 164 | 47,481 | #19 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
42.3% of babies named Leo from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Leo is most popular
The index compares Leo's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Leo.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 2.34× | 1,665 |
| North Dakota | 2.31× | 1,465 |
| New Hampshire | 2.26× | 1,425 |
| Vermont | 2.12× | 710 |
| Massachusetts | 2.04× | 9,732 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Leo's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Leo.
Names from the same era
No other name in our top 500 outside the list above peaked within two years of Leo (1903). Browse all names.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data