Show ContentsLeone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Leone 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 Leone came from the given name Leoni which comes from the Latin Leo or Leonios, which means lion-like.

Early Origins of the Leone family

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

Early History of the Leone family

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

Leone 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 Leone 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 Leone family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Domenico Leonessa of Naples became the Archbishop of Rossano in 1457...
  • Leone Leoni was a medalist and sculptor born in Como in 1509...
  • 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...
  • Guglielmo Leone, Count of Zumaglia, was the first President of the Piedmontese Senate in the 18th century...

Leone Ranking

In the United States, the name Leone is the 2,575th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Leone is ranked the 3,596th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. [2]


United States Leone migration to the United States +

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

Leone Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Charles Leone, who settled in Baltimore in 1807
  • Gaspard Leone, who arrived in Baltimore in 1810
  • Pablo Leone, who arrived in Texas in 1835 [3]
  • Paul Leone, who landed in Texas in 1835 [3]
  • Poll Leone, who arrived in Texas in 1835 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Leone Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Jerry Leone, who settled in New York in 1904
  • Ralph Leone, who settled in New York sometime between 1884 and 1925
  • Louis Leone, who settled in Illinois in 1939

Contemporary Notables of the name Leone (post 1700) +

  • Ryan Harrison Leone (1985-2022), American novelist, film producer, artist, and prison reform activist, best known for his semi-autobiographical addiction novel Wasting Talent
  • Lucile Petry Leone (1902-1999), American nurse, founding director of the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1943
  • Tracey Leone (b. 1967), Tracey Leone born 1967 is a retired American soccer midfielder
  • Justin Paul Leone (b. 1977), American professional baseball third baseman
  • Dominique Leone, American musician and writer
  • Nathan Daniel Leone, the American lead singer of rock band Madina Lake
  • Matthew Jon Leone, the American bassist of rock band Madina Lake
  • Peter Leone, American equestrian rider
  • Rocco Leone, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1916 [4]
  • Joseph A. Leone, American politician, Mayor of Billings, Montana, 1972-77 [4]
  • ... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Kate Leone (b. 1897), American garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire [5]


  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. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire


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