Names for Leo babies relate most directly to lions. According to zodiac lore, the sun entered the constellation of Leo the lion on July 23, meaning that babies born between then and August 22 are ruled by its brave, strong and imperious influence. Whether or not you buy into the idea of astrology, it’s a major part of our culture, well worth mining for name possibilities.

　　If you wanted to commemorate your Leo baby’s sun sign in his or her name, there are a few different ways you could go. The most literal one would be to pick a name that refers directly to Leo. Luckily, there are more than a few great choices, for both boys and girls, that do.

　　NAMES THAT INCLUDE “LEO“

　　Leo: The final “o” and a number of starbabies have conspired to make it a very trendy choice — so much so that it’s now Number 74 in the U.S..

　　Leon: Not far behind Leo in the U.S., and ahead in some parts of Europe.

　　Leona: Finally recovering from the stigma of hotel magnate Leona Helmsley, the “queen of mean.”

　　Leonard: Currently feels a little oldman-ish, but great for Leonard Cohen fans.

　　Leonato: A Shakespearean version that’s still relatively undiscovered.

　　Leonardo: Da Vinci gives it a richly artistic and intelligent air, and many might connect it to DiCaprio.

　　Leonidas: The name of a Spartan king became an unlikely hit thanks to hit 2006 movie 300.

　　Leonie: A humorously hypochondriac but warmhearted character in Proust‘s In Search of Lost Time.

　　Leonore: Another name with artistic ties, this time to Beethoven’s music.

　　Leontyne: Though Leontine is a perfectly good spelling, this is the version used by legendary opera diva Leontyne Price.

　　Leopold: Used countless times by various European royal families.

　　If you wanted to be a bit more subtle about the zodiac connection, you could go for one of the many appealing names that mean lion in various languages.

　　NAMES THAT MEAN “LION“

　　Abbas: One of Muhammed‘s uncles, whose name means “lion.”

　　Ari: One of the quintessential unisex names.

　　Aria: Even more popular than Leo, at Number 23 in the U.S.

　　Ariel: Mostly for girls in the U.S., thanks to The Little Mermaid, but more male in Israel.

　　Aslan: A possible choice for Narnia fans and Turkish history buffs alike.

　　Guri: Hebrew for “little cub,” rarely heard here.

　　Hamza: Like Abbas, an uncle of Muhammed‘s with a leonine name.

　　Leander: Another underused Shakespeare name that would make an interesting alternative to Alexander.

　　Lev: Being Tolstoy’s first name gives it major literary cred, would fit in with the trend for short boy names, used by actress Noomi Rapace.

　　Lionel: On the cusp of a comeback, now ranking at Number 579.

　　Othniel: An extremely rare pick from the Old Testament.

　　Ruslan: A Russian variant of Aslan, widely used throughout Russia and other former Soviet states; Ruslana is the female version.

　　Sher: Persian for lion, and fairly common as a first and last name in Central and South Asia.

　　Simba: Disney got the name of the lead character of The Lion King from the Swahili word for lion.

　　If you wanted to make the link between the name and the zodiac sign even more indirect, you could also pick one that relates to the constellation Leo — two of the stars in the constellation bear interesting names. The myth behind the constellation is fruitful ground as well; Leo is the terrifying Nemean lion that Hercules wrestled and killed in the first of his legendary labors.

　　NAMES RELATED TO THE SIGN OF LEO

　　Hercules: With ancient names like Cassius, Hannibal and Jupiter becoming popular, it might be time to give Hercules another look. Heracles is the original Greek version.

　　Nemea: The name of the region in Greece that was home to the fabled lion.

　　Regulus: J.K. Rowling used this name of the brightest star in the constellation Leo for a minor character in the Harry Potter series.

　　Selene: A titan said to be a parent of the Nemean lion according to myth, with Zeus as the father, and a lovely, moonstruck name.

　　For even more names perfect for a Leo baby and a further look at the sign’s astrological connotations, check out our post from last year on Leo names.