Leotis

Variation of Leodis, Celtic

"people living by the strongly flowing river"

Leotis Origin and Meaning

The name Leotis is a boy's name meaning "people living by the strongly flowing river".

Leotis effortlessly blends vintage and contemporary style, offering old-fashioned charm and not one, but two old-school cool nicknames: Leo and Otis.

Leotis and Leodis — the original form of the name — both debuted on the American charts in 1915, but Leotis would go on to be (slightly) more common. At its peak, Leotis was given to 25 baby boys in 1949. It was, and remains, a predominantly African American name.

Leotis Martin was the first-ever North American Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, making Leotis one of many eligible Black hero names.

Leotis comes from Leodis, the place name that predated Leeds, Yorkshire. It was derived from the Celtic Lādenses, meaning "people living by the strongly flowing river".