Leonela
A feminine Spanish diminutive form of the name Leonor, derived from the Old German name Leanora.
Name Census estimates that about 1,014 living Americans carry the first name Leonela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leonela today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leonela births was 1985 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leonela. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Leonela with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 338,022 Americans
Peak year
1985
67 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,193
Tracked since 1980
Census
Leonela in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,428 people with the first name Leonela, which placed it at #9,647 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#9,647
National first-name rank
People counted
1.4K
1,428 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
94.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leonela
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leonela is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Black (0.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Leonela described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Leonela at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.5% · 1,350
- White3.4% · 48
- Black or African American0.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 10
- Two or more races0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Popularity
Leonela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leonela from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 286 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leonela by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leonela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leonelas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Leonela, while Illinois, Arizona, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 76 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leonela
The name Leonela is a feminine form of the Latin name Leonellus, a diminutive of Leo, meaning "lion." Its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, where the lion was a revered symbol of strength and courage. The name was likely derived from the Latin words leo (lion) and the diminutive suffix -ella, creating a name that translates to "little lion."
During the Middle Ages, the name Leonela gained popularity across various regions of Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. It was often associated with noble families who aspired to bestow upon their daughters names that conveyed bravery and valor. In some cases, the name was also influenced by the Latin word lumen, meaning "light," adding a connotation of radiance and illumination.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leonela can be found in the 12th century, when it was mentioned in a historical document from the Italian city of Florence. The document referred to a noblewoman named Leonela di Firenze, who was renowned for her charitable works and patronage of the arts.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Leonela. In the 15th century, Leonela de Velasco (1415-1486) was a Spanish noblewoman and the wife of Álvaro de Luna, a powerful constable of Castile during the reign of King Juan II. Her influence and political acumen played a significant role in the affairs of the kingdom.
Another prominent figure was Leonela Vicuña (1522-1598), a Spanish mystic and a co-founder of the Discalced Carmelite Order, alongside Saint Teresa of Ávila. Her dedication to spirituality and her writings on the contemplative life earned her recognition within the Catholic Church.
In the realm of literature, Leonela Preciado (1857-1934) was a Mexican poet and educator renowned for her lyrical works that celebrated the beauty of her homeland and the struggles of her people. Her poetry collection, "Cantos del hogar" (Songs of the Home), published in 1904, received critical acclaim.
Moving into the 20th century, Leonela Relys (1919-2008) was a Cuban ballet dancer and choreographer who left a lasting impact on the world of dance. She co-founded the National Ballet of Cuba and served as its artistic director for over three decades, nurturing generations of talented dancers.
Lastly, Leonela Ahumada (1935-2017) was a Chilean writer and journalist celebrated for her contributions to children's literature. Her books, which explored themes of imagination, friendship, and adventure, captivated young readers and earned her numerous awards and accolades throughout her career.
People
Leonela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leonela as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leonela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leonela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,014 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leonela going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 338,022 US residents.
Is Leonela a common name?
We classify Leonela as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,044 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leonela most popular?
The single biggest year for Leonela was 1985, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leonela is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leonela in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,428 people with the name Leonela, or 0.47 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,647 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Leonela in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Leonela?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leonela appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,426 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Leonela?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leonela is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Black (0.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Leonela most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Leonela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (1,350 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leonela in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leonela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leonela in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leonela still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leonela in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leonela can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Leonela?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.