Names Categorized "lions"

This is a list of names in which the categories include lions.
gender
usage
Alisher m Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik
From the given name Ali 1 combined with Persian شیر (sher) meaning "lion". It was borne by the 15th-century Timurid poet Ali-Shir Nava'i, who wrote in the Chagatai Turkic language.
Alparslan m Turkish
From Turkish alp meaning "brave" and arslan meaning "lion", referring to the 11th-century Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan, who expanded the Seljuk Empire into Anatolia.
Androcles m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek Ἀνδροκλῆς (Androkles) meaning "glory of a man", derived from ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) and κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a man who pulled a thorn from a lion's paw in one of Aesop's fables.
Apolena f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of Apollonia.
Apolinar m Spanish
Spanish form of Apollinaris.
Apollinaire m French (Rare)
French form of Apollinaris. It was adopted as a surname by the Polish-French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who based it on his Polish middle name Apolinary.
Apollinaris m Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek name derived from the name of the god Apollo. This was the name of several early saints and martyrs, including a bishop of Ravenna and a bishop of Hierapolis.
Apolline f French
French form of Apollonia.
Apollo m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *apelo- meaning "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
Apollonia f Ancient Greek, Italian
Feminine form of Apollonios. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Alexandria.
Apollonios m Ancient Greek
From an ancient Greek personal name that was derived from the name of the Greek god Apollo. It was borne by a Greek poet of the 3rd century BC. Several saints have also had this name.
Apolónia f Portuguese (European, Rare)
European Portuguese form of Apollonia.
Apolônia f Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Apollonia.
Apolonia f Spanish, Polish
Spanish and Polish form of Apollonia.
Apolonija f Slovene
Slovene form of Apollonia.
Areli m Biblical
Means "lion of God, hero" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of Gad in the Old Testament.
Ari 1 m Hebrew
Means "lion" in Hebrew.
Arie 2 m Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew אַרְיֵה (see Arieh).
Arieh m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Means "lion" in Hebrew. This is the name of an officer of King Pekahiah in the Old Testament.
'Ari'el m Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew form of Ariel.
Ariel m & f Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Means "lion of God" in Hebrew, from אֲרִי ('ari) meaning "lion" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film The Little Mermaid (1989).
Ariella f English (Modern)
Strictly feminine form of Ariel.
Arielle f French
French feminine form of Ariel.
Arihel m Biblical Latin
Latin form of Ariel.
Arik m Hebrew
Diminutive of Ariel or Arieh.
Arslan m Turkish, Turkmen
Turkish variant and Turkmen form of Aslan.
Aryeh m Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew אַרְיֵה (see Arieh).
Asad m Arabic, Urdu
Means "lion" in Arabic.
Asadullah m Arabic, Pashto
Means "lion of Allah", derived from Arabic أسد (asad) meaning "lion" combined with الله (Allah).
Aslan m Turkish, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Ossetian, Circassian, Literature
From Turkic arslan meaning "lion". This was a byname or title borne by several medieval Turkic rulers, including the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan (a byname meaning "brave lion") who drove the Byzantines from Anatolia in the 11th century. The author C. S. Lewis later used the name Aslan for the main protagonist (a lion) in his Chronicles of Narnia series of books, first appearing in 1950.
Aslanbek m Chechen, Ossetian, Circassian
Derived from Turkish aslan meaning "lion" combined with the Turkic military title beg meaning "chieftain, master".
Bast f Egyptian Mythology
Variant reading of Bastet.
Bastet f Egyptian Mythology
From Egyptian bꜣstt, which was possibly derived from bꜣs meaning "ointment jar" and a feminine t suffix. In Egyptian mythology Bastet was a goddess of cats, fertility and the sun who was considered a protector of Lower Egypt. In early times she was typically depicted with the head of a lioness. By the New Kingdom period she was more associated with domestic cats, while the similar cat goddess Sekhmet took on the fierce lioness aspect.
Griffin m English
Latinized form of Gruffudd. This name can also be inspired by the English word griffin, a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).
Haidar m Arabic
Means "lion, warrior" in Arabic. This is a title of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Haider m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic حيدر (see Haidar).
Hari m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali
Means "brown, yellow, tawny" in Sanskrit, and by extension "monkey, horse, lion". This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu, and sometimes of Krishna. It is also borne by the son of the Garuda, the bird-like mount of Vishnu.
Haydar m Turkish
Turkish form of Haidar.
Hayder m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic حيدر (see Haidar).
Heydar m Persian
Persian form of Haidar.
Hyder m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic حيدر (see Haidar).
Izem m Northern African, Berber
Means "lion" in Tamazight.
Kfir m Hebrew
Means "lion cub" in Hebrew.
Lavi m Hebrew
Means "lion" in Hebrew.
Leander m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.
Léandre m French
French form of Leander.
Leandro m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Leander.
Lelle m Swedish
Diminutive of Lennart.
Len m English
Short form of Leonard.
Lenard m English
Variant of Leonard.
Lenart m Slovene
Slovene form of Leonard.
Lencho m Eastern African, Oromo
Means "lion" in Oromo.
Lennard m Dutch
Dutch variant of Leonard.
Lennart m Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Low German, Dutch
Swedish and Low German form of Leonard.
Lennie m & f English
Diminutive of Leonard, sometimes a feminine form.
Lenny m English
Diminutive of Leonard.
Léo 1 m French
French form of Leo.
Leola f English
Feminine form of Leo.
Leolin m Welsh
Anglicized form of Llywelyn influenced by Latin leo "lion".
Léon m French
French form of Leon (used to refer to the popes named Leo).
León m Spanish
Spanish form of Leo and Leon. This is also the name of a city and province in Spain (see León), though the etymology is unrelated.
Leon m English, German, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Greek, Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek λέων (leon) meaning "lion". During the Christian era this Greek name was merged with the Latin cognate Leo, with the result that the two forms are used somewhat interchangeably across European languages. In England during the Middle Ages this was a common name among Jews. A famous bearer was the Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), whose name is Лев in Russian.
Leona f English, Czech
Feminine form of Leon.
Léonard m French
French form of Leonard.
Leonard m English, Dutch, German, Polish, Romanian, Germanic
Means "brave lion", derived from the Old German elements lewo "lion" (of Latin origin) and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Noblac who is the patron of prisoners and horses. The Normans brought this name to England, where it was used steadily through the Middle Ages, becoming even more common in the 20th century.
Leonarda f Italian
Feminine form of Leonardo.
Leonardo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leonard. A notable bearer was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian artist and scientist of the Renaissance. He is known as the inventor of several contraptions, including flying machines, as well as the painter of the Mona Lisa. Another famous bearer was Leonardo Fibonacci, a 13th-century Italian mathematician. A more recent bearer is American actor Leonardo DiCaprio (1974-).
Leonas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Leon.
Léonce m & f French
French form of Leontios, also used as a feminine name.
Leoncio m Spanish
Spanish form of Leontios.
Léone f French
French feminine form of Leon.
Leone 1 m Italian
Italian form of Leo and Leon.
Leone 2 f English
Variant of Leona.
Leonhard m German
German form of Leonard. A famous bearer was the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who made many important contributions to calculus, number theory, geometry and theoretical physics.
Leonid m Russian, Ukrainian
Russian and Ukrainian form of Leonidas.
Leonida m Italian
Italian form of Leonidas.
Leonidas m Greek, Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army 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.
Léonide m & f French (Rare)
French masculine and feminine form of Leonidas.
Léonne f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Léon.
Leonti m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Леонтий (see Leontiy).
Leontia f Ancient Greek
Feminine form of Leontios. This name was used among Byzantine royalty.
Léontine f French
French form of Leontina.
Leontios m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek λέοντος (leontos), the genitive case of λέων (leon) meaning "lion". This was the name of various early saints and martyrs. It was also borne by a 7th-century Byzantine emperor.
Leontiy m Russian
Russian form of Leontios.
Leonty m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Леонтий (see Leontiy).
Leontýna f Czech
Czech form of Leontina.
Leontyne f English (Rare)
Variant of Léontine. This name is borne by opera singer Leontyne Price (1927-).
Leonzio m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Leontios.
Léopold m French
French form of Leopold.
Leopold m German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Polish
Derived from the Old German elements liut "people" and bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs. Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel Ulysses (1922).
Léopoldine f French
French feminine form of Leopold.
Leopoldo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leopold.
Leoš m Czech
Czech form of Leo.
Leudbald m Germanic
Old German form of Leopold.
Lev 1 m Russian
Means "lion" in Russian, functioning as a vernacular form of Leo. This was the real Russian name of both author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940).
Levan m Georgian
Georgian form of Leon.
Levon m Armenian
Armenian form of Leon. This was the name of several kings of Cilician Armenia, including the first king Levon I the Magnificent.
Lew 2 m Polish (Rare)
Polish cognate of Lev 1.
Lionel m French, English, Arthurian Romance
French diminutive of Léon. It appears in Arthurian legend in the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle, belonging to a knight who was the brother of Sir Bors. A notable modern bearer is the Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi (1987-).
Liupold m Germanic
Old German form of Leopold.
Llew m Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Variant of Lleu. It can also be a short form of Llewelyn. It coincides with the Welsh word llew meaning "lion".
Llewela f Welsh
Variant of Llewella.
Llewella f Welsh
Feminine form of Llywelyn.
Llewellyn m Welsh
Variant of Llewelyn.
Llewelyn m Welsh
Variant of Llywelyn influenced by the Welsh word llew "lion".
Llywelyn m Welsh
Probably a Welsh form of an unattested old Celtic name *Lugubelinos, a combination of the names of the gods Lugus and Belenus, or a compound of Lugus and a Celtic root meaning "strong". Alternatively it may be derived from Welsh llyw "leader". This was the name of several Welsh rulers, notably the 13th-century Llywelyn the Great who fought against the English.
Luan m Albanian
Means "lion" in Albanian.
Luitpold m German (Archaic)
German variant of Leopold.
Lyonesse f Arthurian Romance
Means "lioness" in Middle English. In Thomas Malory's 15th-century tale Le Morte d'Arthur this is the name of a woman trapped in a castle by the Red Knight. Her sister Lynet gains the help of the knight Gareth in order to save her.
Lyonors f Arthurian Romance
Probably from Middle English lyon meaning "lion". It appears in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends Le Morte d'Arthur, belonging to a woman who had a child with Arthur. Alfred Tennyson used the name in his poem Gareth and Lynette (1872) for the sister of Lynette (this character is called Lyonesse in Malory's version of the story).
Nala 2 f Popular Culture
The name of a lion in the animated movie The Lion King (1994). Though many sources claim it means "gift" or "beloved" in Swahili, it does not appear to have a meaning in that language.
Osama m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic أسامة (see Usama).
Othniel m Biblical
Meaning uncertain, possibly "lion of God" or "strength of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a nephew of Caleb who becomes the first of the ruling judges of the Israelites.
Pantaleon m Ancient Greek
Derived from the Greek elements πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" (genitive παντός) and λέων (leon) meaning "lion". This was the name of a 2nd-century BC king of Bactria. It was also borne by Saint Pantaleon (also called Panteleimon), a doctor from Asia Minor who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century. He is a patron saint of doctors and midwives.
Pantaleone m Italian
Italian form of Pantaleon.
Panteley m Bulgarian (Rare), Russian (Rare)
Bulgarian and Russian form of both Panteleimon and Pantaleon.
Poldi m German
German diminutive of Leopold.
Ruslan m Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Azerbaijani, Ossetian, Chechen, Ingush, Avar, Circassian, Indonesian, Malay
Form of Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.
Ruslana f Ukrainian
Feminine form of Ruslan.
Sher m Urdu, Pashto
Means "lion" in Persian. A famous bearer of this name was Sher Shah, a 16th-century Mughal ruler.
Sherali m Uzbek, Tajik
From Uzbek and Tajik sher meaning "lion" (of Persian origin) combined with the name Ali 1.
Sherzod m Uzbek, Tajik
Means "son of the lion", derived from Persian شیر (sher) meaning "lion" and the suffix زاد (zad) meaning "son of".
Shir 2 m Persian (Rare)
Modern Persian form of Sher.
Simba 2 m Eastern African, Swahili
Means "lion" in Swahili. This is the name of the main character in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994), about a lion cub who exiles himself after his father is murdered.
Singh m Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his male Sikh followers the surname Singh, and it is now a very common surname or a middle name. The female equivalent is Kaur.
Tau m Southern African, Tswana, Sotho
Means "lion" in Tswana and Sotho. Tau was the name of the last ruler of the Rolong in South Africa (18th century).
Thiha m Burmese
Means "lion" in Burmese, ultimately from Sanskrit सिंह (sinha).
Timoleon m Ancient Greek
Derived from the Greek elements τιμάω (timao) "to honour" and λέων (leon) "lion". This name was borne by a 4th-century BC Greek statesman and general.
Usama m Arabic
Means "lion" in Arabic.
Yeruslan m Folklore
From Tatar Уруслан (Uruslan), which was possibly from Turkic arslan meaning "lion". Yeruslan Lazarevich is the name of a hero in Russian and Tatar folktales. These tales were based on (or at least influenced by) Persian tales of their hero Rostam.