Leander

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 4 languages in the etymology graph.

Often considered alongside

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Leander, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Isidore
• Cassian
• Dorian
• Orion
• Caspian
• Cassius
• Florian
• Alaric
• Demetrius
• Gideon
• Ambrose
• Perseus

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Leander is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate name4 spellings in the group

  Also written Leánder

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Finland, Russia, China

  Also written Leànder

56 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Leander is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• humanistic form of Volkmann, a graecized form based on the Greek personal name Leandros (see Leandro).

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, The lover of Hero who swam every night across the Hellespont to meet her, and finally was drowned.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, beloved of Hero in Greek myth;

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In German, Germanized form of Volkmar

  as a name·Deutsche Namenkunde: Unsere Familiennamen nach ihrer Entstehung und Bedeutung

• In German, männl. Vom. griechischen Ur­ sprungs (wohl zu griech. laös, leos »Volk« und aritr, andres »Mann«). Der Name ist bekannt durch die griechische Sage vom unglücklichen Liebespaar Hero und Leander, die z. B. von Schiller in der Ballade »Hero und

  as a name·DUDEN Lexikon der Vornamen

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Leander of Sevilleb. 534ESbishop of Seville
• Leander Starr Jamesonb. 1853GBPrime Minister of the Cape Colony (1853-1917)
• Leander Engströmb. 1886SESwedish architect and painter (1886-1927)
• Zarah Leanderb. 1907SESwedish actress and singer (1907–1981)
• Börje Leanderb. 1918SESwedish association football player (1918-2003)
• Burt Rutanb. 1943USnot in their usual nameAmerican aerospace engineer (born 1943)
• Leander Haußmannb. 1959DEGerman film director
• Leander Paesb. 1973INIndian tennis player
• Leander Dendonckerb. 1995BEBelgian association football player (born 1995)
• Leander CarellDEfilm producer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Leander mean, and where does it come from?

Greek; the lion man. See Leo, Leonard, Lionel Recorded by Baby names, 25,350 baby names nicknames for your family, friends pets, including the top 100 names, 2,000 most popular….

How do you pronounce Leander?

A machine transcription gives /ʎiændɚ/ (IPA) for English.

In which country does Leander have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 3.2 thousand people named Leander, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled leander.

Where is Leander most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Leander is densest in Norway — about 1 in 2.0 thousand people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is the name Leander?

In the United States, the national register counted 3,184 people named Leander in 2020, about 1 in 104 thousand residents.