| Giovanni | Leonardo | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | Brave lion |
| Origin | Italian | italian |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | joh-VAH-nee | leh-oh-NAR-doh |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1907 | 1885 |
| Peak year | 2010 (3,434) | 2019 (4,427) |
| In 2025 | 2,939 | 3,789 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Giovanni | Leonardo |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,879 | 24,361 |
| 2010s | 30,418 | 35,230 |
| 2000s | 24,227 | 19,490 |
| 1990s | 10,931 | 7,285 |
| 1980s | 3,359 | 3,194 |
| 1970s | 1,418 | 2,467 |
| 1960s | 579 | 1,400 |
| 1950s | 153 | 879 |
| 1940s | 20 | 526 |
| 1930s | 56 | 427 |
| 1920s | 135 | 508 |
| 1910s | 175 | 256 |
| 1900s | 18 | 38 |
| 1880s | 0 | 5 |
Giovanni is the Italian form of John, “God is gracious.”
Italian form of Leonard, from the Germanic elements 'lewo' (lion, borrowed from Latin 'leo') and 'hard' ('brave, hardy, strong'), giving 'brave as a lion'.
Leonardo is more popular than Giovanni today: about 3,789 US babies were given the name Leonardo in 2025, compared with 2,939 named Giovanni.
Giovanni means God is gracious (Italian origin), while Leonardo means Brave lion (italian origin).
In US records, Giovanni first appears in 1907 and Leonardo in 1885, so Leonardo has the longer recorded history.