Boy names that mean lion
Lion names come from three separate places that never borrowed from each other: the Greek leōn that filled Europe, the Turkic arslan that travelled west with the steppe, and the Arabic and Semitic lion words that stayed put. Seventeen names here carry the animal for real. One famous candidate does not, and it is corrected below.
- LeoLEE-ohLatin
Lion. No compound, no elements to unpick — the Latin noun itself. Currently #19 in the U.S.
- LeonLEE-onGreek
Greek leōn, the word Latin borrowed to make leo. Same animal, older spelling.
- LeonardLEN-erdGermanic
Lion-strong: Frankish lewo, a loan from Latin, plus hart (hardy, brave).
- Leonardolay-oh-NAR-dohItalian
Brave as a lion, the Italian and Iberian Leonard. #91 in the U.S., and the only lion name in the current American top 100 apart from Leo.
- Leandrolay-AHN-drooPortuguese
Lion-man, from leon plus andros — the same andr- inside Alexander.
- LennartLEN-nartSwedish
The Swedish and Danish Leonard, worn down to two firm syllables.
- Leonidlee-uh-NEETRussian
Lion-like, from Greek Leōnidas; read literally it is son of the lion.
- LevLYEFRussian
Lion — the everyday Russian noun. Tolstoy was Lev, not Leo, and the two words are the same word by different roads.
- Levonleh-VONArmenian
Lion, from Greek leōn. A royal name in Cilician Armenia.
- AriAR-eeHebrew
Hebrew ari, from aryeh, lion. Note that the identical spelling is Old Norse for eagle, so the name carries two animals depending on the family.
- Aslanahs-LAHNTurkish
Lion, plainly: the ordinary Turkish word, used unchanged as a name.
- Alparslanahl-par-SLAHNTurkish
Heroic lion. Alp was a warrior's rank earned in the field, arslan the lion — neither half is decoration.
- Ruslanroos-LAHNRussian
The Turkic arslan, lion, naturalised in Russian after losing its first vowel.
- LaythLAYTHArabic
Lion — in classical usage the daring one in particular, and so a brave man.
- HamzaHAM-zahArabic
Lion, and also steadfast. The root carries sharpness rather than bulk: a quick lion, not a heavy one.
- SimbaSEEM-bahSwahili
Lion. To call a man simba in Swahili is to call him fearless, so the metaphor is built into ordinary speech.
- Shervinshehr-VEENPersian
Traditionally lion-like, from shīr, lion. The first half is solid; the second is not securely explained, so treat the full gloss as traditional.
Three lions, three continents
The leōn family. Leo, Leon, Leonard, Leonardo, Leandro, Lennart, Leonid and Levon are all the same Greek word, redistributed. Latin took leōn as leo, Frankish borrowed it as lewo and welded it onto hart to make Leonard, and Slavic picked it up early enough that Russian lev looks native. Nine of the seventeen names here descend from one Greek noun, which tells you how good the lion was as a compliment.
Arslan. Turkish Aslan is the plain word for the animal; Alparslan puts a warrior's rank in front of it; Ruslan is the same lion after a long stay in Russian, where it arrived through folk literature rather than through Turkish speech. If you want a lion name that no one will mistake for a Latin classic, this is the branch to look at.
The lion words that stayed home. Arabic is the extreme case — the classical lexicon is credited with dozens of words for the lion, and Layth and Hamza are two of the ones that became names, each with its own shade. Hebrew ari, Swahili simba and Persian shīr work the same way: the animal's ordinary name, used directly. Simba is the only one of the three that also functions as a common adjective for a brave man.
One correction. Leopold is not a lion name. It comes from liut (people) plus bald (bold), and the leo- spelling is a later reshaping by scribes who thought they recognised the Latin. Welsh Llewelyn is a softer case: the llew, lion, reading is old and persistent, but most Celticists tie the name to llyw, leader, so we have left it off the list. For the neighbouring animals, the meanings index has the rest.