Boys' name · peaked in 1918
Leon name popularity since 1925
148,932 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Leon (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1956 or earlier, so the typical Leon is about 70 years old in 2026. Leon peaked in 1918 as the #77 name for boys, and it ranked #138 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 148,932
- Named Leon, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1918
- #77 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #138
- for boys in 2025 (2,583 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 907 girls · 148,025 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 2.12× its national share
Peak year is the year Leon 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.
Leon births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1926. Measured as a share of all babies, Leon peaked earlier, in 1918.
- Fastest rise: Between 2008 and 2013, Leon became 2× more common, from 1 in 3,720 baby boys to 1 in 1,850.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Leon's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Leon.
Decade by decade
Babies named Leon 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 | 140 | 12,681 | – |
| 1930s | 184 | 23,005 | #86 |
| 1940s | 116 | 23,578 | #111 |
| 1950s | 127 | 21,341 | #143 |
| 1960s | 129 | 13,823 | #199 |
| 1970s | 115 | 9,854 | #233 |
| 1980s | 73 | 7,627 | #283 |
| 1990s | 10 | 5,176 | #452 |
| 2000s | 0 | 5,062 | #524 |
| 2010s | 0 | 11,768 | #314 |
| 2020–25 | 13 | 14,110 | #138 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
28.2% of babies named Leon from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Leon is most popular
The index compares Leon'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 Leon.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2.12× | 3,777 |
| South Carolina | 2.01× | 4,139 |
| District of Columbia | 1.99× | 1,349 |
| Alabama | 1.90× | 4,958 |
| Louisiana | 1.86× | 4,932 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Leon's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Leon.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Leon (1918).
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