Leon (surname)
| León/Leon | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
 | |
| Meaning | lion |
| Region of origin | northwestern Spain, and Greece |
León is a Spanish surname. A habitational name from León, a city in northwestern Spain, named with Latin legio, genitive legionis ‘legion’, a division of the Roman army. In Roman times the city was the garrison of the 7th Legion, known as the Legio Gemina. The city’s name became reduced from Legion(em) to Leon(em), and in this form developed an unetymological association with the word for ‘lion’, Spanish león. In Spanish it is also a nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, from león ‘lion’. Leon is also found as a Greek family name from Greek leon ‘lion’.[1]
People with the surname León or Leon include:
- Adrianne León, American actress
- Danilo León (born 1967), Venezuelan professional baseball player
- Francis Leon (born 1844), American actor
- Léonie Léon (1838–1906), French mistress
- Pedro Pablo León (born 1943), Peruvian footballer
- Pierre Leon (1837-1915), American sailor
- Sandy León (born 1989), Venezuelan professional baseball player
- Tony Leon (born 1956), South African politician
- Tony Leon (American football)
- Valerie Leon (born 1943), English actress
See also
- De Leon
- Liang (surname), a Chinese surname sometimes romanized as "Leon"
References
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