Leonel

Leonel is the Spanish equivalent of Lionel, which is the French diminutive for Leon. Since Leon means “lion” in Greek, then Leonel would mean “young lion”. The name Leon has been common among Jewish people owing to Genesis 49:9 when, just prior to his death, Jacob gathered his twelve sons to give his final blessing and foretell their respective futures. To his fourth son Judah he said: “Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up.” The Kingdom of Judah became one of the two Jewish states (the other being the Kingdom of Israel) around the 10th century B.C. and is where the royal line of David ruled (the capital being Jerusalem). The lion therefore became an important symbol to the Jews. Aside from the Jewish connection, Leonidas I was a 5th century B.C. King of Sparta admired for his bravery and leadership, and believed to be descended from Hercules. The lion is a powerful and regal animal so it’s no wonder that many people of different languages have readily adopted this name. Leonel is probably considered one of the more modern forms of this name. It seems to be used with the most frequency in South America.