Leonardo

Brave lion; also interpreted as “strong as a lion”.

Leonardo is a masculine name used in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. It belongs to the Leonard name family, whose older Germanic elements combine “lion” with “strong” or “brave”. The familiar interpretation “strong as a lion” captures that combination; Leonardo is more than the word for a lion with an added ending. In Italian /le.o.ˈnar.do/ and Spanish /le.o.ˈnaɾ.ðo/, the weight falls on nar. The opening vowels give the name room to unfold before that firmer centre, and the final o rounds it off. Compared with Leonard, the extra ending creates a more expansive impression. This may suit a preference for a full, resonant name with strength in its imagery and movement in its sound.

Etymology: Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leonard, from Germanic elements for “lion” and “strong” or “brave”; the lion element was borrowed from Latin.