Leonard
A surname from the given name Leonard, meaning “brave lion” or “lion-like.”
The #338 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,375 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Leonard comes from the old personal name Leonard, ultimately from Germanic elements meaning “lion” and “hardy,” “strong,” or “brave.” The name passed into medieval Latin and Old French before becoming a popular Christian given name in England and elsewhere. As a surname, it usually began as a patronymic, identifying someone as the son or family of a man named Leonard.
History
The name became widespread in medieval Europe thanks in part to the cult of St. Leonard, a popular saint in the Middle Ages. English surnames from Leonard generated short forms and variants such as Lankin, Lenard, and Lennie in older records. It remains common today in Ireland, Britain, France, and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname dictionaries explicitly note that Lankin is a diminutive of Leonard.
From the historical record
“Lion. LEONARD. The personal name. Len- nie and Lankin ajipear to be derivatives, and Leuard and Lcunard are corruptions. LEPER. One afflicted with leprosy, a common disease in this countiy in Crusad- ing times. There were many lazar-houses or hospitals for lepers in the early centuries after the Conquest. Le Lepre…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom