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