Leandra is a unique and beautiful name of Portuguese origin. It means "man's lion" or "lion-like man," which gives it a strong and powerful connotation. The name Leandra is composed of two elements: "leão," meaning lion, and "-andro," a masculine suffix found in many Greek names.
The history of the name Leandra is not well-documented, but it is believed to have originated as a Portuguese variant of the Latin name Leonara. Leonara itself was derived from the name Leo, which means lion in Latin. Over time, Leonara evolved into Leandra, possibly under the influence of other names with similar endings, such asandra or Andrea.
Leandra has been used as a given name for centuries, but it is not particularly common. It reached its peak popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in Portugal and Brazil. Today, Leandra is still more commonly found in these countries than elsewhere, although it can be found around the world.
Despite its relative rarity, Leandra is a name that stands out due to its unique spelling and strong meaning. It is an excellent choice for parents looking for a distinctive name with a powerful significance.
The name Leandra has a fascinating history of usage in the United States, as indicated by these statistics. Between 1913 and 2023, there were a total of 6,949 babies named Leandra at birth.
During the early to mid-20th century, the number of newborn girls named Leandra remained relatively low, with fewer than 10 births per year from 1913 to 1945. However, starting in the late 1940s, there was a notable increase in the popularity of the name, reaching a peak in the 1960s and early 1970s.
In 1967, the height of Leandra's popularity, there were 63 births that year alone. This trend continued throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, with over 50 births each year from 1968 to 1974.
However, similar to many other names, Leandra's popularity began to decline in the mid-1970s. By the 1980s, the number of annual births named Leandra had fallen significantly, with fewer than 25 babies per year from 1980 to 1984.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Leandra's popularity continued to fluctuate but remained relatively steady, with around 100 births each year. However, in recent years, there has been a significant decrease in the usage of the name Leandra, with fewer than 50 births per year from 2014 onwards.
Despite this decline in popularity, the name Leandra still holds historical significance and continues to be given to newborn girls in the United States today.