Meaning & use
Leonardo
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
An Italian male given name that means 'brave as a lion'.
Grammar: Used as a name for a person; no article before it.
Leonardo is a common name in Italy.
My cousin Leonardo lives in Rome.
She named her son Leonardo after her grandfather.
proper nounproper
The short way people refer to Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian artist and inventor.
Grammar: Often used alone when the context makes it clear which Leonardo is meant.
We studied Leonardo in art history class.
The museum has a drawing by Leonardo.
Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa.
Common combinations
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452.
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar for his role in The Revenant.
- Pope Leo
- Several popes have taken the name Leo, not Leonardo.
Word family
- Leo proper noun
- A shorter male name that also means 'lion'.
- Leonarda proper noun
- The female form of Leonardo, used in Italy.
Commonly confused: Leonardo or Leonard?
Leonardo vs Leonard
Leonard is the English form of the name; Leonardo is Italian and has an extra -o at the end.
Practice
Which sentence uses the name correctly?
Choose one answer.
Leonardo is a proper noun (a name), so it does not take an article like 'a' or 'the'. Option 2 is correct; option 1 wrongly adds 'a', option 3 wrongly adds 'the', and option 4 wrongly adds 'an'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Leonardo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.