| Leon | Roy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lion | king |
| Origin | French | french |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | lay-OHN | roy |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1924 (2,677) | 1947 (7,560) |
| In 2025 | 2,583 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leon | Roy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 14,110 | 3,166 |
| 2010s | 11,768 | 5,017 |
| 2000s | 5,062 | 5,581 |
| 1990s | 5,176 | 8,601 |
| 1980s | 7,627 | 14,308 |
| 1970s | 9,854 | 22,353 |
| 1960s | 13,823 | 40,047 |
| 1950s | 21,341 | 61,847 |
| 1940s | 23,578 | 65,648 |
| 1930s | 23,005 | 51,495 |
| 1920s | 25,577 | 63,259 |
| 1910s | 15,280 | 40,340 |
| 1900s | 2,859 | 10,632 |
| 1890s | 2,103 | 9,779 |
| 1880s | 1,475 | 6,565 |
Léon comes from the Latin and Greek for “lion.”
From Old French 'roy/roi', meaning 'king'. Note a second, separate origin: the Scottish Gaelic nickname 'ruadh' ('red', of hair/complexion) — so Roy can mean 'king' (French) or 'red' (Gaelic) depending on the bearer.
Leon is more popular than Roy today: about 2,583 US babies were given the name Leon in 2025, compared with 0 named Roy.
Leon means Lion (French origin), while Roy means king (french origin).
In US records, Leon first appears in 1880 and Roy in 0, so Roy has the longer recorded history.