Leonid

Leonid is a masculine given name used in Russia and other Slavic countries. It derives from the Greek name Leonidas, formed from leōn meaning “lion” and a diminutive or suffix that gives the sense of character, with the overall meaning often rendered as “lion-like” or “lion-hearted.” In Cyrillic, the name is written Леонид. It has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christian communities and remains widely used in Russia, Ukraine, and other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Notable people named Leonid include political figures such as Leonid Brezhnev, a prominent leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982; Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of independent Ukraine; and Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine’s second president. Russian writer Leonid Andreyev (1869–1919) is another well-known bearer, as is Armenian-Soviet mime Leonid Yengibarov (1935–1972). The name has appeared across various fields in the Slavic world and beyond.

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual celestial event named for the radiant point in the constellation Leo from which the meteors appear to originate. The debris that produces the Leonids comes from comet Tempel-Tuttle. The shower typically peaks in mid-November and can produce bright meteor displays in some years, with a higher-than-usual rate during notable storms. Observers in dark skies in the Northern Hemisphere often regard the Leonids as an opportunity for a reliably visible show in the pre-dawn hours.