Leonel

LEE-oh-nul; leh-oh-NEHL
Variation of Lionel, French
"young lion"

Leonel Origin and Meaning

The name Leonel is a boy's name of Spanish origin meaning "young lion".

A variation of Lionel that has made slow but substantial gains in recent years, perhaps helped by the resurgence of Leo. It is also the Spanish and Portuguese variant.

Derived from Leon, Lionel emerged as a diminutive form of the strong, leonine name, softening if with the -el suffix, and giving it the meaning "young lion".

Leonel is now more popular than Lionel in the US, where it is nearing the Top 300, though recent years have seen Lionel catching up.

# 307 in the US

Leonel Rank in US Top 1000

Leonel Popularity

Famous People Named Leonel

  • Leonel Antonio Fernández
    50th and 52nd President of the Dominican Republic
  • Leonel de Moura Brizola
    Brazilian politician; 55th governor of Rio de Janeiro
  • Leonel "Lio" Cunha Guerra
    Portuguese footballer
  • (Leonel) Edmundo Rivero
    Argentine tango singer
  • Leonel Eduardo Pilipauskas
    Uruguayan footballer
  • Leonel Antonio Parris
    Panamanian footballer