| Bellamy | Leon | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Fine friend | Lion |
| Origin | french | French |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | BEL-uh-mee | lay-OHN |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2021 (447) | 1924 (2,677) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 2,583 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Bellamy | Leon |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,341 | 14,110 |
| 2010s | 673 | 11,768 |
| 2000s | 0 | 5,062 |
| 1990s | 0 | 5,176 |
| 1980s | 0 | 7,627 |
| 1970s | 0 | 9,854 |
| 1960s | 0 | 13,823 |
| 1950s | 0 | 21,341 |
| 1940s | 0 | 23,578 |
| 1930s | 0 | 23,005 |
| 1920s | 0 | 25,577 |
| 1910s | 0 | 15,280 |
| 1900s | 0 | 2,859 |
| 1890s | 0 | 2,103 |
| 1880s | 0 | 1,475 |
From Old French bel ami 'beautiful/fine friend' (bel from Latin bellus 'beautiful' + ami 'friend'). NOTE: 'beautiful' here modifies 'friend' (a fine or handsome companion) rather than naming beauty outright, but the bellus root is explicit.
Léon comes from the Latin and Greek for “lion.”
Leon is more popular than Bellamy today: about 2,583 US babies were given the name Leon in 2025, compared with 0 named Bellamy.
Bellamy means Fine friend (french origin), while Leon means Lion (French origin).
In US records, Bellamy first appears in 0 and Leon in 1880, so Bellamy has the longer recorded history.