| Leo | Lucas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lion | Light-bringing; from Lucania |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LEE-oh | LOO-kus |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 2022 (8,293) | 2017 (13,032) |
| In 2025 | 8,173 | 10,219 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leo | Lucas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 47,481 | 65,795 |
| 2010s | 44,706 | 118,661 |
| 2000s | 12,274 | 70,995 |
| 1990s | 4,738 | 38,178 |
| 1980s | 4,541 | 26,088 |
| 1970s | 5,365 | 8,817 |
| 1960s | 9,487 | 857 |
| 1950s | 15,536 | 339 |
| 1940s | 16,962 | 256 |
| 1930s | 22,864 | 254 |
| 1920s | 36,960 | 403 |
| 1910s | 26,656 | 286 |
| 1900s | 5,629 | 55 |
| 1890s | 4,691 | 67 |
| 1880s | 2,098 | 41 |
Leo is the Latin word for “lion,” long associated with courage and strength, and shared with the zodiac sign.
Lucas is the Latin form of Luke, from Loukas — most often understood as “from Lucania” in southern Italy, and popularly associated with the Latin lux, “light.”
Lucas is more popular than Leo today: about 10,219 US babies were given the name Lucas in 2025, compared with 8,173 named Leo.
Leo means Lion (Latin origin), while Lucas means Light-bringing; from Lucania (Latin origin).
In US records, Leo first appears in 1880 and Lucas in 1881, so Leo has the longer recorded history.