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 substanial 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. For every one Lionel, there are nearly two Leonels, though the traditional spelling is on the rise too.

Leonel Rank in US Top 1000

# 307 in the US

Leonel Popularity

• 307 US 2023
• 1859 Nameberry 2020
• 272 Future 2028
• 34 Mexico 2021

20 Names Similar to Leonel

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Leonel.

• Donte
• Beriah
• Chaco
• Daneeka
• Dametrius
• Danacia
• Cailey
• Martez
• Zulema
• Hernando
• Demitrius
• Paysley
• Benito
• Isandro
• Joab
• Orlan
• Kolbie
• Valencio
• Starlene
• Euston

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