This page is historical. Follow this link for the current version.
Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
☙

Leo m. Latin leo, Ancient Greek λέων 'lion'.

The name of 10 pre-1600 popes, six Byzantine emperors between the 5th and 10th C, an 8th C saint, and five kings of Armenia between the 12th and 14th C. The diminutive Lionel was the name of a younger son of King Bors and Evaine in the medieval Arthurian legends.

The name was often used by Jews as a translation of Hebrew Arye.

Austria
Latin
● 798 Leo (nom) UrkStyria 1
Belgium
Latin
● 1143 Leo (nom) CartStBert 15; 1147 Leonii (dat) ibid. 16; 1151 Leonem (acc) ibid. 17
Brabant
Latin
● 1312 Leonii (gen) JeanIII p. 37
Czech Republic
Latin
● 1343 Leonis (gen) Rössler2 128, p. 65; 1345 Leoni (dat) CDEM-7.2 605; 1350 Leo (nom) Rössler1 53; 1375 Leo (nom) LDFPUP1 p. 31
Middle High German
● 1365 Lew (nom) Rössler1 58; 1373 Lew (nom) ibid. 102
England
Latin
● 1279–80 Leo (nom) WaHR-SK p. 30
◑ 1476 Lionello (abl) WillsInv LXVII
Dutch
● 1593 Leon AuFr Busken; 1594 Lion ibid. Beusken; 1596 Leon ibid. Busken; 1599 Lion ibid. Busken
Early Modern English
● 1592 Lyon DEmar-vol2 p. 25
◑ 1526 lionell WillsInv LXXVII; 1540 Lyonell ibid. LXXXVI; 1560 Lyonell RegIng p. 5; 1592 Lionell Bar-in-El p. 31; 1595 Lyonell ibid. p. 31
France
Latin
● 1049 Leo (nom) CartNDSaintes III; 1160 Leonis (gen) CartNDdOurscamp CXIV; 1378 Leoni (dat) hanquetvol1 1180, Leonii (gen) ibid. 2489, Leonio (dat) ibid. 521, Leonius (nom) ibid. 2489
Old French
● 1313 Lion Paris1313 p. 51
Middle French
● 1354 Lion MHN DLX; 1571 Léon RegPCC-1 p. 621; 1587 Leon RTFProvins 6
Germany
Latin
● 795x800 Leonis (gen) HambUrk-vol1 IV; 846 Leonis (gen) ibid. XI; 849 Leo (nom) ibid. XIII; 864 Leonis (gen) ibid. XVI; 920 Leonis (gen) ibid. XXIX; 937 Leo (nom) ibid. XXXIII; 1191 Leo (nom) quix-vol1 38; 1216 Leo (nom) hennes-vol1 25; 1280 Leo (nom) ibid. 268; 1313 Leonem (acc) VFBStralsund 20, Leoni (dat) ibid. 31; 1322 Leonis (gen) ibid. 78; 1401 leonio (dat) HD1401 no. 397
Italy
Latin
● 915 Leo (nom) RCI-Cam1 2, Leonis (gen) ibid. 2; 999 Leonem (acc) HGSav-4.1 p. 1, Leoni (dat) ibid. p. 1, Leonis (gen) ibid. p. 1; 1100 Leonem (acc) RCI-Cam1 627, Leoni (dat) ibid. 628; 1220 Leo (nom) hennes-vol1 49; 1224 Leo (nom) UrkRott-1 17; 1236 Leo (nom) TirNot1 9; 1282 Lione (nom) BBC-Berg p. XLVII; 1300 Leonis (gen) ActDipVeneto-I-1 p. 50; 1310 Leonus (nom) MonRav-2 CCCL; 1376 Leo (abl) DouGen1 p. 84, Leone (abl) ibid. p. 71; 1449 Leo (nom) VitAs2 IX; 1513 Leo (nom) MHCG2 286; 1527 Leonis (gen) Rome1527 p. 87
◑ 1376 Leonel (abl) DouGen1 p. 29, Leonele (abl) ibid. p. 42
Switzerland
Latin
● 1515 Leonis (gen) MHCG2 288; 1519 Leone (abl) ibid. 292
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Leo". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2019, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2019/1/name/Leo.