| Leonardo | Matteo | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Brave lion | Gift of God |
| Origin | italian | italian |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | leh-oh-NAR-doh | maht-TEH-oh |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1885 | 1911 |
| Peak year | 2019 (4,427) | 2024 (2,589) |
| In 2025 | 3,789 | 2,455 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leonardo | Matteo |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 24,361 | 14,188 |
| 2010s | 35,230 | 14,630 |
| 2000s | 19,490 | 3,241 |
| 1990s | 7,285 | 676 |
| 1980s | 3,194 | 174 |
| 1970s | 2,467 | 120 |
| 1960s | 1,400 | 74 |
| 1950s | 879 | 26 |
| 1940s | 526 | 7 |
| 1930s | 427 | 65 |
| 1920s | 508 | 180 |
| 1910s | 256 | 102 |
| 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'.
Italian form of Matthew, ultimately from Hebrew 'Mattityahu' ('gift of Yahweh / gift of God') via Greek Matthaios.
Leonardo is more popular than Matteo today: about 3,789 US babies were given the name Leonardo in 2025, compared with 2,455 named Matteo.
Leonardo means Brave lion (italian origin), while Matteo means Gift of God (italian origin).
In US records, Leonardo first appears in 1885 and Matteo in 1911, so Leonardo has the longer recorded history.