113 Majestic Names That Mean Lion: For Feisty Little Cubs

Updated
Show off your cub’s wild side with these awesome baby names that mean lion.

Take a walk on the wild side and consider these majestic, awe-inspiring names that mean lion for your newest arrival.

With regal, powerful, and even mythical appeal, these lion names are sure to sound cute on the newest cub in your pride. So why not take a moment to explore each unique option?

Let’s grab our binoculars, take a safari among these epic lion names for boys and girls, and discover their awe-inspiring inspirations, origins, and more!


26 Adventurous Girl Names That Mean Lion

Fabulous feline females will sound ready for anything, with these powerful names that mean lion.

  1. Aria – meaning “lioness” in Greek, also referring to a song.
  2. Arielle – a very pretty, ultra-feminine variant of the “lion” name Ariel.
  3. Athaleyah – a spectacular Hebrew girl name meaning “lioness of God.”
  4. Bastet – after the ancient Egyptian goddess of cats, sometimes depicted with a lioness’ head.
  5. Cakusola – a rare tribal African girl name for a “lion-hearted” love.
  6. Cat – a common nickname and great feline-inspired name, perhaps meaning “pure,” from Catherine.
  7. Emeteria – a rare Greek name, unusually meaning “half-lion.”
  8. Hafsa – or Hafza, both cute-as-pie Arabic names for a little “lioness cub.”
  9. Kaur – a pretty Indian surname meaning “princess” or “lioness.”
  10. Kefira – a pretty and unique Hebrew pick for a “young lioness” daughter.
  11. Kiara – meaning “dark-haired” (Irish) or “princess” (Swahili) borne by Simba’s daughter in The Lion King II.
  12. Leandra – a feminine form of Leander, thus meaning “lion woman.”
  13. Leona – sexy and Latin, meaning “lioness.”
  14. Leoni – a playful variant of Leona, cute among modern-sounding girl names that mean “lion.”
  15. Llwella – great if you love the letter L, of Welsh origin, meaning “lioness” or “shining one.”
  16. Loni – perhaps a cute form of Leonie, among sweet “lion” names with 4 letters.
  17. Mehit – or Mehyt, inspired by an ancient Egyptian lion goddess.
  18. Menhit – separate from Mehit, Menhit was a Nubian lion goddess of war.
  19. Nala – like the Disney “lion queen,” this African name also triumphs in its meaning of “successful.”
  20. Poldi – a gentle Hungarian pick for a girl who’s “brave like a lion.”
  21. Ruslana – a feminine form of Ruslan, among Russian girl names meaning “lion.”
  22. Sabuah – of Arabic roots, this dreamy name means “lioness.”
  23. Savannah – is a “treeless plain” where we’re sure to spot a lion or two.
  24. Tiaret – a delicate African female name meaning “lion.”
  25. Xafsa – a bit like Hafsa, this Arabic girl’s name has the coolest initial for a “young lioness.”
  26. Zariel – a cute pick for a “lion princess,” perhaps as a variant of Ariel.

66 Badass Boy Names That Mean Lion

These awesome lion names are worthy of the mightiest “mane” men!

  1. Aaron – a strong English name, with “warrior lion” as a possible ancient meaning.
  2. Abbas – bold and proud among manly Arabic names that mean “stern lion.”
  3. Alparslan – a powerful Turkish name denoting a “heroic lion.”
  4. Apedemak – after the Nubian god of war, depicted with a lion head.
  5. Arik – a cool, masculine twist on Ariel.
  6. Arslan – similar to Aslan, this strong name is used across Asia, meaning “strong, warrior, lion.”
  7. Aryeh – is common and cool among Hebrew boy names meaning “lion.”
  8. Asad – a solid Arabic pick among boy names meaning “lion.”
  9. Asadullah – a heavenly variant of Asad, meaning “lion of Allah.”
  10. Aslan – a Turkic “lion” name, famously featured in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
  11. Aslanbek – a commanding Turkic name meaning “lion master.”
  12. Azmaray – or Ezmaray, both variants of Zmaray, meaning “lion.”
  13. Babar – or Baber, both cat-friendly Persian and Pashto names meaning “lion” or “tiger.”
  14. Benroy – a Hebrew name for a “son of a lion” for kids with mighty parents.
  15. Cougar – a fiery name after a lion-like species of wildcat.
  16. Daniel – meaning “God is my judge,” after the biblical prophet thrown into a lions’ den.
  17. Dhaigham – a Muslim name for a little “lion” king of the jungle.
  18. Gurion – a Hebrew name that’s warm and loving for a “lion cub.”
  19. Haidar – is cute and trendy among Arabic boy names that mean “lion.”
  20. Hamza – a popular Arabic name full of manly qualities, meaning “lion, strong, steadfast.”
  21. Hari – a Sanskrit color name also meaning “lion,” also given to the Hindu god Vishnu.
  22. Harun – or Haroon, meaning “warrior lion,” with powerful Arabic origins.
  23. Izem – a rare Berber name meaning “lion.”
  24. Kfir – a unique baby name meaning “lion cub” in Hebrew.
  25. Kosey – rooted in Egypt, this “lion” name has the most comforting sounds.
  26. Laith – meaning “lion” in Arabic, also a Scottish place name.
  27. Lavi – a cool Hebrew name meaning “lion,” also from Olavi (“ancestor’s descendant”) in Finnish.
  28. Leander – meaning “lion man,” Leander is rooted in Greek mythology.
  29. Leandro – a sexy variant of Leander from Spanish, French, and Italian languages.
  30. Leandros – a strong, traditionally Greek form of Leander, for a “lion man.”
  31. Len – short for various names with that “Len-” syllable, meaning “lion.”
  32. Lencho – a fun African male name meaning “lion.”
  33. Leo – a classic among Latin “lion” names, also sounding strong as a middle name for boys.
  34. Leon – also meaning “lion,” a great locational name inspired by various European cities.
  35. Leonard – a fun old man name to wear with pride, meaning “brave lion.”
  36. Leonardo – a continental variant of Leonard, for your handsome leading man.
  37. Leonitus – of Latin roots, this name is designed for a man who is “like a lion.”
  38. Leontes – another variant of “lion” names with “Leo,” used by Shakespeare.
  39. Leopold – continuing with the “Leo-” theme, this hefty German pick means “brave.”
  40. Lev – means “lion,” a Russian take on Leo.
  41. Levon – a trendy Armenian “lion” name, as a variant of Leon.
  42. Lionel – another dated male name, meaning “little lion.”
  43. Llywellyn – meaning “lion-like, strong, leader,” this Welsh boy’s name is admittedly confusing to spell.
  44. Luan – is charming with its double meaning of “moon” in Portuguese and “lion” in Albanian.
  45. Lyon – a French variant of Leon with cool, locational roots.
  46. Maahes – after the lion-headed ancient Egyptian god of war.
  47. Miles – a warrior name for a “lion-hearted soldier.”
  48. Mufasa – meaning “king,” the most powerful of names inspired by Disney’s The Lion King.
  49. Napoleon – a historical name of uncertain etymology, but with that “lion” element in “-leon.”
  50. Othniel – an angelic biblical Hebrew name meaning “lion of God.”
  51. Pantaleon – an epic and saintly Greek name meaning “lion of all.”
  52. Panteley – a rare name, as a Bulgarian spin on Pantaleon.
  53. Rasalas – a celestial Arabic name relating to “the northern star of the lion’s head.”
  54. Ruslan – popular in Eastern Europe, this cool boy name means “lion.”
  55. Scar – the most menacing of lion names, after the scary baddie from The Lion King.
  56. Sher – meaning “lion,” a solid and friendly Persian pick.
  57. Sherzon – of Persian origins, this name means “son of the lion.”
  58. Shir – a spelling alternative to the Persian Sher (“lion”), also meaning “song, poem” in Hebrew.
  59. Simba – the most iconic of “lion” names of Swahili origin, featured in The Lion King.
  60. Singh – this common Sikh surname and middle name comes from Sanskrit, meaning “lion, hero.”
  61. Thimba – meaning “lion hunter,” this Swahili name is similar in sound to Simba.
  62. Timoleon – is regal among ancient Greek “lion” names, meaning “honor, lion.”
  63. Tocho – a Native American boy’s name affectionate in style, meaning “mountain lion.”
  64. Usama – a commanding Muslim name for your fierce “lion” king of the jungle.
  65. Yeruslan – rooted in Russian folklore, this name is a variant of Aslan, meaning “lion.”
  66. Zmarai – or Zmaray, meaning “lion” in Pashto.

21 Unique Unisex Names Meaning Lion

A selection of gender-neutral lion names worthy of any new cub in the pack.

  1. Alex – a common unisex name meaning “defender of mankind,” after the lion from Madagascar.
  2. Ari – a cool nickname with the griffin-like double meaning of “lion” (Hebrew) and “eagle” (Old Norse).
  3. Ariel – a vibrant name used by Shakespeare and Disney, meaning “lion of God.”
  4. Cub – an affectionate, lion-inspired pet name for your fuzzy new offspring.
  5. Dandelion – a unique flower name whose etymology interestingly lies in French, meaning “lion’s tooth.”
  6. Dilan – a great international name with various meanings, including “love” or “lion-like.”
  7. Emery – an English name for a kid who’s “brave, industrious” or “powerful as a lion.”
  8. Griff – a cool nickname from Griffin for little legends.
  9. Griffin – a cool last and given name after the legendary eagle/lion-cross creature.
  10. Kasar – referring to a roaring “lion,” this Sanskrit name sure packs a punch.
  11. Kimba – inspired by the Japanese manga series Kimba the White Lion.
  12. Lenni – the sweetest of Finnish names inspired by animals, meaning “brave lion.”
  13. Lion – obvious among names that mean lion, for kiddos with the loudest roar.
  14. Nemea – an inspired name after the frightful Nemean lion killed by Hercules in Greek mythology.
  15. Pride – a unique virtue name, also relating to a family unit of lions.
  16. Puma – rare, but a cool cat name nonetheless, inspired by the species of mountain lion.
  17. Raion – means “lion” in Japanese, with a golden shimmer surrounding it.
  18. Roary – or Rory, cute, lion-themed name for loud kids, originally meaning “red king” in Gaelic.
  19. Safari – a rare Swahili name meaning “journey,” making us think of lions, zebras, and giraffes.
  20. Shishi – means “lion” (Japanese), also referring to stone “lion dogs” and mythical protectors in Chinese culture.
  21. Tau – short, sweet, and simple among African gender-neutral names meaning “lion.”

Names That Mean Lion FAQs

What Lion Names Come From Mythology?

Take inspiration from mythology when selecting names meaning “lion” for your baby by choosing god and goddess names such as Bastet, Menhit, Mehit, Apedemak, Maahes, or Hari.

What Name Means “Lion of God?”

Othniel is a heavenly boy name meaning “lion of God,” and we love Athaleyah for girls. Alternatively, Ariel is a cute, gender-neutral “lion of God” name to consider.

What Are Some Disney Lion Names?

Simba is the most popular among names meaning “lion,” inspired by Disney. Other names from The Lion King franchise include Mufasa, Nala, Scar, and Kiara. Alternatively, Ariel is a famous Disney mermaid name, meaning “lion of God.”

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About the Author

Madeleine Lily Webb

Madeleine is a writer from somewhere near Manchester, England. Madeleine's background in languages and linguistics has led to baby names becoming one of her favorite topics to write about. When she's not fallen down a rabbit hole of stories behind unique names, Madeleine can be found hanging out with her cat, taking photos of flowers, or dancing.