Leander

Leander - A very unique male name

Leander appeared on the charts for the first time in 1911 on position #709. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Leander and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Leander? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Leander. The baby boy name Leander was given to 70 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1487 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 20,947 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Leander peaked in popularity 112 years ago in 1914 on position 631.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Leander, 1-5?

Leander is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Leander is currently topping the baby name charts in Massachusetts at position #853 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #1,525.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Leander is where you live.

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Leander origin and meaning

Greek

Lion-man — from Greek leon, 'lion,' and aner, 'man'

Leander is the Greek Leandros, 'lion-man,' borne in myth by the youth who swam the Hellespont nightly to reach his beloved Hero. The fact table credits it with 2 syllables; it is spoken with three, lee-AN-der. It has been in the data since 1911 and reached its highest use so far in 2025.

Attested etymology

Leander is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Leander, pop culture references for the name Leander and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Leander

We've found the following names that sound similar to Leander, sorted by popularity.

Leandro / Landry / Leandre / Leandrew / Leondre / Lander / Landri / Liandro /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Leander

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Leander a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Leander?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

lee-AN-der · /liːˈændər/
The data table gives 2 syllables, but the name is spoken with 3: lee-AN-der.

Around the world

• Leandro (Spanish) — The Spanish and Portuguese form.
• Leandro (Italian) — Used as-is in Italian.

Spellings and nicknames

• Leandro — The Romance-language form, a separate entry.

Nicknames: LeoLee

Famous bearers

• Leander — Youth in Greek myth who swam the Hellespont nightly to his beloved Hero (Mythological) Fictional

Style

MythologicalLiteraryInternational

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Leander for a romantic classical name that offers Leo as a modern nickname.

Worth knowing

• The myth ends tragically — Leander drowns — which some parents may want to know, and pronunciation needs one demonstration for most English speakers.