Leon (given name)

Leon (Ancient Greek: λέων, romanized: léon; leōn) is a first name of Greek origin, meaning "lion". It gave rise to similar names in other languages, including the Latin Leo, French Lyon or Léon, Irish Leon, Spanish León, Armenian Levon / Լևոն or Georgian Levan / ლევან. In Greek mythology, Leon was a giant killed by Heracles. One of the oldest attested historical figures to bear this name was Leon of Sparta, a 6th-century BCE king of Sparta. During the Christian era, the name Leon was merged with the Latin cognate Leo, with the result that the two forms are used interchangeably. A similar Greek name, Leonidas, means "son of a lion". Leonidas I, king of Sparta, was a famous bearer of that name. The Ancient Greek word λέων ultimately comes from Proto-Semitic *labiʾ-, which is not Indo-European.