Leon is a first name of Greek origin. The Greek λέων (leōn), meaning "lion," has spawned the Latin "leo," French "lion," Irish "leon" and Spanish "león." Perhaps the oldest attested historical figure to bear this name was Leon of Sparta, a 5th-century BCE king of Sparta, while in Greek mythology Leon was a Giant killed by Heracles. During the Christian era Leon was merged with the Latin cognate Leo, with the result that the two forms are used interchangeably. A similar Greek name to Leon is Leonidas, meaning "son of a lion", with Leonidas I, king of Sparta, being perhaps the most famous bearer of that name.
Leon (English, German, Russian version) or Léon (French version) or León (Spanish version) may refer to:
Leon of Modena (1571–1648), Venetian scholar
Leon of Pella, Macedonian historian
Leon of Salamis, Athenian politician
Leon of Sparta, Spartan king
León Aillaud (1880–1936), Mexican politician
Leon Bates (1899–1972), American union leader
Leon Benois (1856–1928), Russian architect
Leon Best (born 1986), Irish football player
Léon Bloy (1846–1917), French writer
Léon Blum (1872–1950), French politician and Prime Minister
Léon Boëllmann (1862–1897), French composer
Leon Bourgeois (1851–1925), French politician and Prime Minister
Léon Breitling (1860–1914), Swiss watchmaker and businessman
Leon Brittan (1939–2015), British politician
Leon Camier (born 1986), British motorcycle racer
Léon Chagnaud (1866–1930), French businessman and politician.
Leon Czolgosz (1873–1901), American anarchist
Léon Dierx (1838–1912), French poet
Léon Dion (1922–1997), Canadian political scientist
Leon Durham (born 1957), American baseball player
Leon Edel (1907–1997), American writer and literary critic
Leon Edney (born 1935), American admiral
Léon Arthur Elchinger (1908–1998), French Catholic archbishop
León Febres Cordero (1931–2008), Ecuadorian politician and President
León Felipe (1884–1968), Spanish poet
Leon Fleisher (born 1928), American pianist and conductor
Léon Foucault (1819–1868), French physicist
Leon Friedman (1886–1948), American politician
Léon Gambetta (1838–1882), French politician and Prime Minister
Leon Garfield (1921–1996), British author
Léon Gaumont (1864–1946), French inventor and industrialist
Léon Gérin (1863–1951), Canadian lawyer
León Gieco (born 1951), Argentinian musician and interpreter
Léon Goossens (1897–1988), British oboist
Leon Haslam (born 1983), British motorcycle racer
Leon Hatziioannou (born 1965), Canadian football player
Leon Jackson (born 1988), British singer
Leon Jaworski (1905–1982), American lawyer
Leon Johnson (disambiguation), multiple people
León Klimovsky (1906–1996), Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer
Leon Koudelak (born 1961), Czech guitarist
Leon Krier (born 1986), Luxembourg architect
Leon Lai (born 1964), Hong Kong actor and singer
Leon Lederman (born 1966), American physicist and Nobel Prize winner
Léon Augustin Lhermitte (1844–1925), French painter and etcher
Leon McKenzie (born 1978), British football player
Leon Milo (born 1956), American musician
Leon Panetta (born 1938), American politician
Léon Pétillon (1903–1996), Belgian politician
Léon Abel Provancher (1820–1892), Canadian priest and naturalist
Leon Punch (1928–1991), Australian politician
Leon Radosevic (born 1990), Croatian basketball player
Leon Robinson (born 1962), American actor and singer
Leon Rotman (born 1934), Romanian canoer
Leon Russell (born 1942), American musician
Léon Say (1826–1896), French economist and politician
Leon Schiller (1887–1954), Austro-Hungarian director and composer
Leon Shamroy (1901 – 1974), American film cinematographer
Léon Schlienger (1922–2002), French songwriter
Leon Schuster (born 1951), South African filmmaker, actor and musician
Leon Sperling (1900–1941), Polish soccer player
Léon Spilliaert (1881–1946), Belgian painter
Leon Spinks (born 1953), American boxer
Leon Sullivan (1922–2001), American civil rights leader
Leon Taylor (born 1977), British swimmer
Léon Teisserenc de Bort (1855–1913), French meteorologist
Léon Theremin (1896–1993), Russian inventor
Leon Thijssen (born 1968), Dutch show jumper
Leon Tolstoy (1828–1910), Russian writer
Leon Trotsky (1879–1940), Russian revolutionary and politician
Leon Underwood (1890–1975), British sculptor, painter and writer
Leon Uris (1924–2003), American novelist
Leon V of Armenia (1342–1393), King of Armenia
Léon Vaudoyer (1803–1872), French architect
Léon Walras (1834–1910), French economist
Leon Ware (born 1940), American singer, songwriter and producer
Leon Wilkeson (1952–2001), American bassist
Leon Norman Williams (1914–1999), British barrister and philatelic writer
Léon Hunter (born 1971), British gamer aka ArcticJaeger
Leon (given name) Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA