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Show ContentsLeonard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Leonard originates in Gascogne, France, is where Leonard was first used as a surname. Leonard was derived from the personal name Leonard, which means "lion-bold," and indicating that the original bearer was thought to be as bold as a lion.

Early Origins of the Leonard family

The surname Leonard was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

The members of the family also branched into other regions of France. In Burgundy they settled in De Léonardy, which was part of the bailiwick of Charolles in 1789. In Brittany the members of the branch Léon settled in Bourgerel, in Ourmeaux and in Trévéret, and they also became the counts of Crozon.

Julien Leonard, born in 1665, son of Jacques and Scholastique (née Gilles), was a French doctor that settled in Quebec in the 17th century. He married Barbe LeFrançois, daughter of Charles and Marie-Madeleine (née Triot), at Château-Richer on 13th October 1698. They remained together in Quebec until Barbe passed away on 1st August 1700. 1

Early History of the Leonard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leonard research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1611, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1657, 1658, 1663, 1671, 1713, 1744, 1766 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Leonard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leonard Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Leonard some of which are Léonard, Léonnard, Léonhard, Lénard, Liénard, Lenard, Lienard, Lionard, Lionhard, Léonart, Léonhart, Lénart, Liénart, Lionart, Lionhart, Lenart, Lienart, Léonardy, Léon, Léone, Léonne, Lion, Lione and many more.

Early Notables of the Leonard family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Hugues de Lionne (1611-1671), a French statesman; and his son, Artus de Lionne (1655-1713), abbé and Bishop of Rosalie in partibus infidelium...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leonard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leonard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Leonard is the 324th most popular surname with an estimated 84,558 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Leonard is ranked the 480th most popular surname with an estimated 10,068 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Leonard is the 459th popular surname. 4 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Leonard as 381st with 123 people. 5 France ranks Leonard as 394th with 10,765 people. 6 Australia ranks Leonard as 554th with 7,002 people. 7 New Zealand ranks Leonard as 634th with 1,125 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Leonard as 532nd with 12,383 people. 9

United States Leonard migration to the United States +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Leonard has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Leonard were

Leonard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Leonard, who landed in Maryland in 1628 10
  • Solomon Leonard, who landed in Massachusetts in 1633 10
  • Katherine Leonard, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 10
  • Thomas Leonard, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 10
  • Maria Leonard, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Leonard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Cha Leonard, who landed in Virginia in 1703 10
  • Richard Leonard, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 10
  • Pierre Leonard, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 10
  • Jean Baptiste Léonard, who lived in New Orleans with his two sons in 1727
  • Frédéric Léonard, who was a property owner in New Orleans in 1732
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Leonard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Leonard, who arrived in America in 1801 10
  • John Leonard, who arrived in New York in 1802 10
  • Jane Leonard, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 10
  • Robert Leonard, aged 21, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 10
  • Rog Leonard, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Leonard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leonard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Catherina Leonard, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • Catherine Leonard, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
  • Mrs. Leonard, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
  • Col. George Leonard Sr., U.E. born in Massachusetts, USA who settled in Parr Town, Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784, then Sussex [Sussex Vale], New Brunswick he served in the New Brunswick Militia 11
  • Sgt. George Leonard U.E. born in New York, USA who settled in Deer Island, West Isles, Fundy Islands, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served with the British Army no Regiment listed 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Leonard Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Leonard, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1820
  • Margaret Condon Leonard, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1826
  • Abraham Leonard, who arrived in Canada in 1831
  • Francis Leonard, who arrived in Canada in 1834
  • Reuben Leonard, who landed in Canada in 1834
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Leonard migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Leonard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Richard Leonard, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. Richard Leonard, (b. 1773), aged 27, English blacksmith who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1853 12
  • Miss Anne Leonard, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Henry Leonard, English convict from Berkshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 14
  • Mr. William Leonard, British Convict who was convicted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for life , transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Leonard 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:

Leonard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Leonard, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 16
  • M. Leonard, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1862 17
  • Robert Leonard, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sydenham" in 1870
  • Mr. John Leonard, (b. 1856), aged 18, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 17
  • Sarah Leonard, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blairgowrie" in 1875
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Leonard 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. 18
Leonard Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Leonard, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Leonard (post 1700) +

  • Jack E. Leonard (1910-1973), American comedian and actor who made frequent appearances on television variety and game shows
  • Stew Leonard (1930-2023), American founder of Stew Leonard's, a regional chain of seven supermarkets in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, according to Fortune magazine, one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For"
  • William Robert "Bobby" Leonard (1932-2021), American professional basketball player, coach and color commentator, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2014
  • William T. Leonard, American politician, Workers Candidate for U.S. Representative from New Jersey 10th District, 1992 19
  • Cecil Leonard (1946-2020), American professional football player who was a defensive back for two seasons with the New York Jets
  • Louise Wareham Leonard, née Wareham, a New Zealand born American writer of British and Maori descent
  • Gloria Leonard (1940-2014), American pornographic actress, a board member of Adult Video Association and its successor the Free Speech Coalition
  • Edgar Leonard (1881-1948), American gold and bronze Olympic medalist for tennis at the 1904 Summer Games
  • Major-General John William Leonard (1890-1974), American Commanding General 2nd Armored Division (1946) 20
  • Elmore John Leonard Jr. (1925-2013), American novelist and screenwriter
  • ... (Another 162 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Thomas Leonard (d. 1914), British Seaman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 21
  • Mr. Mark Leonard (d. 1914), British Seaman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 21
Frank Rock Slide
  • Mr. J. Leonard, Canadian resident of Frank, Alberta who was buried in the Frank Rock Slide on 29th April 1903 22
Grover Shoe factory
  • Miss Mary Leonard, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; she died 23
HMS Dorsetshire
  • Lew Leonard, British aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 24
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Frederick George Leonard, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 25
Pemberton Mill
  • Mr. Dennis Leonard, factory worker in the Pemberton Mill on 10th January 1860 when the mill collapsed trapping 900 workers as rescue attempts continued into the night, an oil lantern was knocked over further engulfing the trapped workers in fire, he died
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Matthew Leonard (d. 1912), aged 26, Irish Steward from Belfast, Ireland who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 26
  • Mr. Lionel Leonard (d. 1912), aged 36, American Third Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 26

Suggested Readings for the name Leonard +

  • Grigsby X. Leonard by Carroll Mendenhall Leonard.
  • Plath (Plaat), Lenhart (also Leonard) & Hankin by Marion Plath Petersen.
  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  5. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  6. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  7. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  8. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  9. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  10. 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)
  11. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
  14. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
  15. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  19. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  20. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) John Leonard. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Leonard/John_William/USA.html
  21. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  22. Calgary Herald news article retrieved 11th August 2021. Retrieved from https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/calgaryherald/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Calgary_Herald_Thu__Apr_30__1903_-copy-scaled.jpg
  23. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  24. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  25. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  26. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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