A French, Spanish, Greek and Italian surname the Leon family name comes from the name Leonard, which means as brave as a lion. The name originated in the Gascogne region of France. The Latin form was ‘legio’ referring to a lion. In Spain there is also the city of Leon where many families originated from.

Spelling variations for Leon include Leonne, Lyon, Leonart, Leonard, Leonhard, Lenard, Leinard, Lionard, Lionhard and Lionart.

Across England the Leon surname is scattered. Most with the Leon name are in Lancashire, Middlesex and the city of London. Three areas of Scotland have many Leon families. They are Sutherland, Banffshire and Angus.

Spain and several Latin American countries have large Leon family populations.
In the United States most Leon families live in Texas, California, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Famous: Jose Leon (professional baseball player from Puerto Rico), Adrianne Leon (actress), Tony Leon (professional football player) and Francis Leon (19th century theater actor).