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