Leander

Today's name: Leander (male)

Potential nicknames: Lee, Andy, Ander, Leo, Leader

Variant forms: Ander, Leandre, Leandrew, Leandro, Leandros, Leanther, Lee, Leiandros, Leo, Liander, and Liandro.

Pronunciation: lee-AN-der

Origin: Derived from the Greek Leiandros, meaning "lion man."

Popularity: There were 55 baby boys named Leander in 2010 in the U.S., along with 51 Leandre's, 10 Leandrew's, and 262 Leandro's. In 2011 there were 48 boys named Leander, along with various other spellings: 34 Leandre, 27 Leondre, 5 Leeandre, and 5 Liandro (Italian). For girls, there were 81 named Leandra in 2011, along with 9 Leandrea, 8 Leandria and 8 Leeandra.

Fun fact: (1) This is a fun alternative to all the Leo's out there, considering the le- beginning in Leander, Leopold, Leo, Leonard, etc. all have the same meaning, "lion." It also feels fresh compared with the ever-popular Alexander. (2) Saint Leander of Seville was an early Spanish saint. (3) In Greek mythology, Leander swam across the Hellespont every night to see his love, Hero. However, one night Leander drowned, so Hero threw herself from her tower so that she would die as well.

Female version: Leandra


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