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