Gender: Masculine
Origin: French
Meaning: “lion”
Eng (LIE-e-NEL); Fre (LEE-oh-NEL)

Perhaps originally an old French diminutive form of Léon, the name is found in Arthurian legend as the name of one of the Knights of the Round Table.  Lionel is the son of King Bors and the brother of Evaine. When king Claudas kills Bors, Lionel and his brother are rescued by the Lady of the Lake and raised in her underwater kingdom.

Currently, Lionel is the 899th most popular male name in the United States, (2010).

Another form of the name is the Croatian and Spanish, Leonel. As of 2009 Leonel was the 55th most popular male name in Argentina.

The name is borne by Lionel Richie (b.1949)