Leonie
From the Greek leon, lion, in a feminine form: a lioness. It was a staple on German girls' name lists a generation ago, but stays rare in Poland, where most people have never met one.
Leonie Pronunciation
Leonie is pronounced le-O-nye (/lɛˈɔɲɛ/).
What Leonie means
Where Leonie comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Leonie traces back to the Greek word leon, meaning lion. From that root grows its short meaning, lioness, or lwica in Polish. The name settled most firmly in German-speaking lands. Leonie climbed high on Germany's girls' name charts around the year 2000, a favourite for a whole generation of children.
Its cross-gender partner is Leon, the plain masculine form of the same lion. The variant Leonia keeps that animal tucked in the middle while shifting the final sound. Both forms trace to one ancestor.
Picture a Polish class register. A Leonie is listed a few lines above a Leon. Neither child may know it, yet both names hold the Greek lion. The lioness stands behind the newer one, and lwica is the word for her.
How many people are named Leonie
1 in 129562 women in Poland is named Leonie. 174 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2415 among female names.
Leonie's popularity over time
4 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #1085 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2014.
Where Leonie is most popular
Leonie is most popular in Opole, 1775% above the national average (4 girls born 2019–2025), followed by Podlaskie (+557%) and Pomeranian (+193%).
-
Opole4 girls born+1775%
-
Podlaskie2 girls born+557%
-
Pomeranian2 girls born+193%
-
Lower Silesian2 girls born+175%
Leonie as a middle name
Leonie is a first name for 174 women in Poland and a middle name for another 60, a 74/26 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 877th, between Hania (60) and Milana (60).
-
#875 Eileen60
-
#876 Hania60
-
#877 Leonie60
-
#878 Milana60
-
#879 Noelle60