Show ContentsLeon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Leon originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most traditional type of family name found in the region of the Papal States is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Leon came from the given name Leoni which comes from the Latin Leo or Leonios, which means lion-like.

Early Origins of the Leon family

The surname Leon was first found in 1130, when Giovanni-Antonio Leoncilli owned much land around Spoleto.

Early History of the Leon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leon research. The years 1425, 1457, 1509, 1537, 1540, 1588, 1596 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Leon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leon Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Leon include Leoni, Leone, Leon, Lioni, Lione, Lion, Liuni, Leo, Lio, De Leone, De Leonibus, De Leo, Di Leo, Leonelli, Leonello, Leoncilli, Lionelli, Lionello, Leonetti, Lionetti, Leoncini, Leoncino, Leonotti and many more.

Early Notables of the Leon family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Bussadi Leoni, a noblewoman in Rome during the 15th century who married at age 12 and was known for her piety and charity...
  • Domenico Leonessa of Naples became the Archbishop of Rossano in 1457...
  • Leone Leoni was a medalist and sculptor born in Como in 1509...
  • He worked mainly in Spain, and collected Leonardo da Vinci's papers, drawings, and notes, which today lie in the Ambrosiana in Milan...
  • Andrea di Leone (1596-1675), was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in his native city of Naples...
  • Leone Leoni was a 16th century composer of madrigals and motets and was maestro di cappella of the Duomo of Vicenza from 1588...
  • Giovanni Antonio Leoni was a 17th century Roman violinist and composed 31 violin sonatas...
  • Guglielmo Leone, Count of Zumaglia, was the first President of the Piedmontese Senate in the 18th century...

Leon Ranking

In the United States, the name Leon is the 670th most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Leon is ranked the 493rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,083 people with that name. 2


United States Leon migration to the United States +

Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Leon or a variant listed above:

Leon Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Cristobal Leon, who arrived in Peru in 1537
  • Hernardo de Leon, his wife Maria Fernandez and their four children, who arrived in Peru in 1570
  • Francisco De Leon, his wife Ana Lopez and their two children, who arrived in New Spain in 1577
  • Bernardino Leon, who arrived in Chile in 1577
Leon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Anthony Leon, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1649 3
Leon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Antonio Leon, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 3
  • Juan Leon, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803
  • Patrick Leon, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 3
  • Pedro De Leon, who arrived in America in 1812 3
  • Alonso De Leon, who arrived in America in 1813 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Leon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Leon, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 4

New Zealand Leon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Leon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Leon, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Earl Durham" arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand in 1841 5

West Indies Leon migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6
Leon Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Lazaro De Leon, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1834 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Leon (post 1700) +

  • John Paul Leon (1972-2021), American comic book artist, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series Static, and the Marvel Comics limited series Earth X
  • Captain Pierre Leon (1838-1915), American officer in the Union Navy and a Medal of Honor recipient
  • Adrianna Therese León (b. 1987), American singer-songwriter, chef, personal fitness trainer, model and actress
  • Jose Leon (b. 1976), American professional baseball player from Puerto Rico
  • Pamela Leon, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1972 7
  • John F. Leon (1910-1987), American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives, 1959-67; Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention 14th District, 1969-70 7
  • Jason Leon, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 2004 7
  • Gersam Leon, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Bayonne, 1862-76 7
  • David Leon, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Curaçao, 1874 7
  • D. H. Leon, American politician, Socialist Workers Candidate for Presidential Elector for Iowa, 1972 7
  • ... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Leon +

  • The Empresario Don Martin de Leon (also Leon) by Arthur B.J. Hammett.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 39)
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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