Una and the Lion - Briton Riviere
Today's names: Lionel & Lionella
For most Lio/Leo names the "i" or "e" is interchangeable. Lionel, Leo, Leonard, Leopold, etc. Lionella, Leona, etc.
Potential nicknames: Lio, Lion; Lio, Liona, Nella, Ella, Ellie
Origin: English variant form of Latin name Leo, meaning "lion," but the -el ending makes it mean "little lion." Lionella is the female Italian variant.
Popularity: For boys in 2011, Leo ranked #167 (2,226 births), Leon #405 (690 births), Leonel #459 (578 births), Lionel #786 (282 births), Leonard #705 (322 births), Leonardo#149 (2,631 births), Leandro #835 (257 births), and Leonidas #888 (232 births).
Non-ranking variants of Leo included 5 Liandro, 5 Leondro, 6 Lyonel, 6 Leonte, 7 Lionardo, 7 Lion, 8 Leovardo, 8 Leonitus, 8 Leonidus, 9 Lionell, 9 Leonides, 9 Leonell, 9 Leone, 9 Leodan, 10 Leeon, 15 Lenard, 18 Leonid, 24 Lyon, 27 Leondre, 34 Leandre, 38 Leopoldo, 48 Leander, 51 Leopold,and 61 Leobardos.
For girls, Leona was #929 with 276 births, but no other female variants ranked. There were 5 girls named Liona, 6 Leonella, 8 Leonela, 32 Leonie, and 81 Leandra.
In 2010 there were 9 baby boys named Lio, 10 Lion, 225 Lionel, 6 Lionell. Lionel ranked at #904, a slight decrease in popularity in the past decade. Leo, on the other hand, ranked in at #193 in 2010. There were also 7 baby girls named Liona, 11 Leonela, 9 Leonella, but 0 spelled Lionella.
Fun fact: (1) Saint Lionello, and different Popes named Leo. (2) Actor Lionel Barrymore. (3) Lionel Richie. (4) Sir Lionel, a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, cousin to Lancelot and son of the King of Gaul. (5) One of the sons of King Edward III of the 1300s. (6) Lionel Boyle, Earl of Orrery, member of Parliament from Ireland. (7) Lionel Cartwright. (8) Lionel model trains, founded by Joshua Lionel Cowen.
.
I'm not terribly into Lionel, though I appreciate it -- but Lionella is great! Never thought of that variant.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have never considered Lionella. She's a fascinating pick.
ReplyDelete