Leontyne
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "lioness".
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the first name Leontyne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leontyne today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leontyne births was 1966 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leontyne. 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.
People living today
181
~ 1 in 1,893,670 Americans
Peak year
1966
19 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
1987 SSA rank
#12,378
Tracked since 1953
Census
Leontyne in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 247 people with the first name Leontyne, which placed it at #33,475 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
#33,475
National first-name rank
People counted
247
247 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leontyne
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leontyne is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Leontyne 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 Leontyne at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.7% · 229
- White4.5% · 11
- Two or more races2.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Leontyne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leontyne from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 104 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Leontyne remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leontyne 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 Leontyne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leontyne
The name Leontyne has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the Greek word "leon," meaning "lion," and the feminine suffix "-tyne." The name can be traced back to ancient times, when lions were revered as symbols of strength, courage, and nobility.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Leontyne can be found in Greek mythology. According to legend, Leontyne was the name of a beautiful maiden who caught the eye of the god Apollo. Her beauty was said to be so radiant that it could rival that of the sun itself.
In ancient times, the name Leontyne was associated with women of noble birth and high social status. It was a popular name among the aristocracy and was often given to daughters of wealthy and influential families.
The earliest recorded example of the name Leontyne dates back to the 5th century BCE, when it was borne by a Greek noblewoman who was said to have been a patron of the arts and a renowned poet.
Over the centuries, several notable historical figures have carried the name Leontyne. One of the most famous was Leontyne Price (1927-2018), an American opera singer who was widely regarded as one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century. She was the first African American to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Another notable bearer of the name was Leontyne Cooper (1837-1924), an American writer and social reformer who was instrumental in the establishment of the first black settlement in Kansas.
In the 19th century, Leontyne Vasil (1824-1902) was a renowned French painter known for her portraits and genre scenes depicting everyday life in rural France.
Leontyne Sagan (1889-1974) was a Polish-American writer and activist who fought for women's rights and was a prominent figure in the suffrage movement.
Leontyne Sneed (1944-2022) was an American jazz singer and pianist who was renowned for her soulful interpretations of classic blues and jazz standards.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals who have borne the name Leontyne throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry associated with this ancient and evocative name.
People
Leontyne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leontyne 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
Leontyne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leontyne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 181 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leontyne 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 1,893,670 US residents.
Is Leontyne a common name?
We classify Leontyne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leontyne most popular?
The single biggest year for Leontyne was 1966, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leontyne is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leontyne in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 247 people with the name Leontyne, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,475 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 Leontyne 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 Leontyne?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leontyne appears almost entirely female. Of the 245 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Leontyne?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leontyne is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Leontyne most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Leontyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (229 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 Leontyne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leontyne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leontyne 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 Leontyne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leontyne 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 Leontyne 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 Leontyne?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.