Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Leonidas

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LEONIDAS

GENDER: Masculine

USAGE: Greek, Ancient Greek

OTHER SCRIPTS: Λεωνιδας (Greek)

Meaning & History

From Greek λεων (leon) "lion". Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.

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