| Leonardo | Luca | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Brave lion | From Lucania; light |
| Origin | italian | Italian |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | leh-oh-NAR-doh | LOO-kah |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1885 | 1915 |
| Peak year | 2019 (4,427) | 2025 (8,759) |
| In 2025 | 3,789 | 8,759 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leonardo | Luca |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 24,361 | 44,138 |
| 2010s | 35,230 | 24,939 |
| 2000s | 19,490 | 7,233 |
| 1990s | 7,285 | 720 |
| 1980s | 3,194 | 252 |
| 1970s | 2,467 | 121 |
| 1960s | 1,400 | 48 |
| 1950s | 879 | 0 |
| 1940s | 526 | 5 |
| 1930s | 427 | 0 |
| 1920s | 508 | 41 |
| 1910s | 256 | 24 |
| 1900s | 38 | 0 |
| 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'.
Luca is the Italian form of Luke, from the Greek Loukas, “from Lucania.” It is a top boys’ name in Italy and increasingly beyond.
Luca is more popular than Leonardo today: about 8,759 US babies were given the name Luca in 2025, compared with 3,789 named Leonardo.
Leonardo means Brave lion (italian origin), while Luca means From Lucania; light (Italian origin).
In US records, Leonardo first appears in 1885 and Luca in 1915, so Leonardo has the longer recorded history.