Leonard is a common English surname and a masculine given name. The name comes from the Old High German word "Leonhard," which combines "levon" (meaning "lion") from the Greek word for lion and the Latin word "Leo," along with "hardu" (meaning "brave" or "hardy"). Over time, the name came to mean "lion strength" or "brave like a lion." Leonard was the name of a saint during the Middle Ages, and he is known as the patron saint of prisoners.

Leonard is also an Irish surname that comes from the Gaelic name "O'Leannain," which was often written as "O'Leonard" in older records. This name was later changed to "Leonard" in English. The prefix "O" means "descendant of," and "Leannan" means "lover." The earliest public records of the surname Leonard appear in 1272 in Huntingdonshire, England, and in 1479 in Ulm, Germany.

Variations

The name has different forms in various languages:

• Anard/Nardu/Lewnardu/Leunardu (Maltese)
• Leen, Leendert, Lenard (Dutch)
• Lehnertz, Lehnert (Luxembourgish)
• Len (English)
• Lénárd (Hungarian)
• Lenart (Slovene)
• Linhart (Czech)
• Lennard, Lenny (shortened forms)
• Lennart (Swedish, Estonian, Dutch)
• Lennert (German, Dutch)
• Lev (Ukrainian)
• Lenni (Finnish)
• Lenno (Groningen)
• Lenny (English)
• Leo (many languages)
• Leon (English, German, Dutch, Russian, Polish)
• Léon (French), León (Spanish)
• Léonard (French)
• Leonard = "Renata" in Māori, Waitaha
• Leonardo (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese)
• Leonardus (Dutch)
• Leonhard, Leonhardt (German)
• Leontxo (Basque)
• O'Leannáin
• O'Lionaird
• Leòmhannard (Scottish Gaelic)
• Linard (Rhaeto-Romanic / Swiss)
• Lionard (Scottish Gaelic)

In other languages

• Armenian: Լեոնարդ (Leonard)
• Croatian: Leonard
• Czech: Leonard
• French: Léonard
• Georgian: ლეონარდ (Leonard)
• German: Leonard, Leonhard, Leonhardt, Lennart
• Greek: Λεονάρδος (Leonárdos)
• Hebrew: לֵב־אֲרִי (Lév-Ari)
• Hungarian: Lénárd, Leonárd
• Indonesian: Leonardo, Leonard, Leonardus, Lenno, Leo, Leon, Lenny
• Italian: Leonardo
• Latvian: Linards
• Lithuanian: Leonardas
• Māori: Renātā
• Maltese: Nardu
• Polish: Leonard
• Portuguese: Leonardo
• Romanian: Leonard
• Russian: Леонард (Leonard)
• Serbian: Леонард (Leonard)
• Spanish: Leonardo
• Swedish: Lennart
• Yiddish: לעאָנאַרד (Leonard)
• Ukrainian: Лев (Lev)

Given name

• Leonard Adleman (born 1945), American computer scientist
• Léonard Autié (1751–1820), French hairdresser
• Leonard Baskin (1922–2000), American artist
• Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990), American conductor and composer
• Leonard Burton (born 1964), American football player
• Leonard of Chios (died 1458), Catholic archbishop
• Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), Canadian singer-songwriter
• Leonard Cheshire (1917–1992), British philanthropist
• Leonard Decof (1924–2010), American lawyer
• Leonard Doroftei (born 1970), Romanian boxer
• Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), Swiss mathematician
• Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1170 – after 1240), Italian mathematician
• Leonard Fairley (born 1951), American football player
• Leonard Fournette (born 1995), American football player
• Leonhard Fuchs (1501–1566), German physician and natural historian
• Leonard Hackney (1855–1938), Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court
• Leonard Harsh (1801–1866), American politician from Ohio
• Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann (born 1934), British judge
• Leonard Humphries (born 1970), American football player
• Leonard Labatt (1838–1897), Swedish tenor
• Leonard Lance (born 1952), American politician
• Leonard Lansink (born 1956), German actor
• Leonard Lauder (1933–2025), American cosmetics industry executive
• Leonard "Lenny" Kravitz (born 1964), American singer and songwriter
• Leonard M. Kravitz (1931–1951), American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
• Leonard Francis Lindoy (born 1937), Australian chemist
• Leonard Livingston (1920–1998), Australian cricketer
• Leonard Maltin (born 1950), American film critic and film historian
• Leonard Manning (1975–2000), New Zealand soldier and United Nations peacekeeper killed in East Timor
• Leonard Marchand (1933–2016), Canadian politician
• Leonard Mlodinow (born 1954), American physicist and writer
• Leonard Mudie (1883–1965), English actor
• Leonard Nimoy (1931–2015), American actor and film director
• Leonard of Noblac (died 559), Frankish nobleman
• Leonard Nolens (1947–2025), Belgian poet and diary writer
• Leonard Patrick, American mobster
• Leonard Peikoff (born 1933), Canadian philosopher
• Leonard Peltier (born 1944), American activist
• Leonard Pitts (born 1957), American journalist
• Leonard of Port Maurice (1676–1751), Italian saint
• Leonard Roberts (born 1972), American actor
• Leonard "Lennie" Rosenbluth (1933–2022), American basketball player
• Leonard Rosenman (1924–2008), American composer
• Leonard Rossiter (1926–1984), English actor
• Leonard Silverman (1930–2015), New York politician and judge
• Leonard Slatkin (born 1944), American conductor
• Leonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg (1936–2009), British businessman
• Leonard Stone (1923–2011), American actor
• Leonard Sumner, indigenous Canadian singer-songwriter
• Leonard Susskind (born 1940), American theoretical physicist
• Leonard Taylor (disambiguation), multiple people
• Leonard Thompson (footballer) (1901–1968), British football player
• Leonard Merlyn Wickramasuriya (1916–2002), Sri Lankan Sinhala army brigadier
• Leonard Woolf (1880–1969), English author, political theorist, and husband of Virginia Woolf
• Leonard Woolley (1880–1960), British archaeologist
• Leonard Wong, American military writer
• Leonard Wu, American actor, writer and producer

Surname

Ada Leonard (1915–1997), American bandleader
Adam Leonard (born 1969), English singer and songwriter
Adna Wright Leonard (1874–1943), Methodist Bishop in Buffalo, New York
André-Joseph Léonard (born 1940), Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels
Andrew Leonard, American technology journalist
Andy Leonard (1846–1903), baseball player
Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; "The Ghetto Wizard", 1896–1947), American boxer who won world championships and was in the Hall of Fame
Bill Leonard (born 1947), American politician
Bobby Leonard (1932–2021), American basketball coach
Brad Leonard (born 1979), New Zealand cricketer
Brendon Leonard (born 1985), rugby player
Brian Leonard (born 1984), American football player
Buck Leonard (1907–1997), baseball player
Cecil Leonard (1946–2020), American football player
Chuck Leonard (1937–2004), radio personality
Conrad Leonard (1898–2003), pianist
Cynthia Leonard (1828–1908), advocate for women's rights
Deane Leonard (born 1999), American football player
Dennis Leonard (born 1951), baseball player
Dick Leonard (1930–2021), British politician
Dutch Leonard (left-handed pitcher) (1892–1952, Hubert Benjamin Leonard), baseball player
Dutch Leonard (right-handed pitcher) (Emil John Leonard, 1909–1983), baseball player
Edwin Leonard (1823–1900), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient
Ego Leonard, anonymous Dutch sculptor, painter, and guerrilla artist
Elijah Leonard (1814–1891), Canadian politician
Elizabeth Weeks Leonard, American professor
Elmore Leonard (1925–2013), American novelist
Emery Clarence Leonard (1892–1968), American botanist
Fessor Leonard (1953–1978), American basketball player
Fred Churchill Leonard (1856–1921), American politician
Frederick C. Leonard (1896–1960), American astronomer
Gary Leonard (born 1967), basketball player
George Leonard (1923–2010), American author
Glenn Leonard (born 1947), American musician
Gloria Leonard (1940–2014), actress
Graham Leonard (1921–2010), Anglican Bishop who converted to Catholicism
Gustav Leonhardt (1928–2012), Dutch musician, conductor, and musicologist
Harlan Leonard (1905–1983), American jazz musician
Harry Ward Leonard (1861–1915), American inventor
Herbert Léonard (1945–2025), French singer, entertainer, and historian
Herbert B. Leonard (1922–2006), American producer and writer
Herman Leonard (1923–2010), photographer
Hookey Leonard, Scottish professional footballer
Hubert Léonard (1819–1890), Belgian violinist
Hugh Leonard (1926–2009), Irish playwright
Isabel Leonard (born 1982), American operatic mezzo-soprano
J. Paul Leonard (1901–1995), American university president and educator
J. Rich Leonard, American judge
Jack E. Leonard (1910–1973), comedian
Jacqueline Leonard (born 1965), Scottish actress
James Leonard (disambiguation), several people with the same name
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player
Jason Leonard (born 1982), American football player

Fictional characters

• Anatole Leonard, a character in the Robotech series
• Leonard (demon), a character in the Dictionnaire Infernal
• Léonard, the main character in a Belgian comic book with the same name
• Leonard, a character in the TV shows Total Drama: Pahkitew Island and The Ridonculous Race
• Leonard W. "Lennie" Briscoe, a detective in the TV series Law & Order
• Private Leonard Church, a character in the animated series Red vs. Blue
• Leonard Hofstadter, a character in the TV show The Big Bang Theory
• Leonard von Lahnstein, a character in the German soap opera Forbidden Love
• Lenny Leonard, a character in the TV show The Simpsons
• Lockie Leonard, the main character in children’s books written by Tim Winton
• Leonard March, a character in C. P. Snow’s novel series Strangers and Brothers. This character was played by Peter Sallis in a 1984 BBC TV series and voiced by John Standing in a 2003 BBC radio series
• Leonard McCoy, a character in the Star Trek series
• King Leonard Mudbeard, a ruler of Piggy Island and the main villain in The Angry Birds Movie
• Leonard Rollins, a character in the TV show Silver Spoons
• Leonard Shelby, the main character in the movie Memento
• Lennie Small, a character in the novel Of Mice and Men
• Leonard Smith, a character in the American sitcom It’s Garry Shandling’s Show
• Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold, a character in The Flash comics and TV series
• Leonard "Lenny" Summers, a character in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2
• Leonard the Polar Bear, the main character in the 1998 animated film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie