__NOTOC__ De León or de León or De Leon is a Spanish origin surname, often

toponymic Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...

, in which case it may possibly indicate an ultimate family origin in the

Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...

or the later

Province of León León (, ; ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the c ...

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 29.7% of all known bearers of the surname ''de León'' were residents of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

(frequency 1:647), 26.4% of

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

(1:116), 20.0% of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(1:1,179), 8.1% of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

(1:244), 4.1% of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

(1:182), 2.2% of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(1:31,581), 2.1% of

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

(1:313), 1.7% of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(1:5,084) and 1.0% of

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

(1:1,194). In

, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:5,084) in the following autonomous communities: * 1.

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

(1:427) * 2.

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

(1:4,329) In

, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:116) in the following departments:de Leon surname distribution
/ref> * 1.

San Marcos Department San Marcos is a department in southwestern Guatemala, on the Pacific Ocean and along the western Guatemala-Mexico border. The department's capital is the city of San Marcos. History Colonial period The Spanish conquest of Guatemalan Highl ...

(1:35) * 2.

Jutiapa Department Jutiapa Department is a Departments of Guatemala, department of Guatemala that borders along El Salvador and the Pacific Ocean. The capital is the city of Jutiapa. As of 2018, it has a population of 488,395. The department is divided into seven ...

(1:42) * 3. Quetzaltenango Department (1:45) * 4.

Retalhuleu Department Retalhuleu (, ''Retalhuléu'') is a department located in the south-west of Guatemala, extending from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean coast. It has an area of 1856 km2. In 2018, the population of the Department of Retalhuleu was 326,8 ...

(1:49) * 5.

El Progreso Department El Progreso () is a department in Guatemala. The departmental capital is Guastatoya. The Spanish established themselves in the region by 1551, after the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. El Progreso was declared a department in 1908, but was disso ...

(1:72) * 6.

Suchitepéquez Department Suchitepéquez () is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. Its capital is Mazatenango. It is situated in the southwestern region of Guatemala, bordering Quetzaltenango, Sololá, and Chimaltenango to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the so ...

(1:100) * 7.

Izabal Department Izabal () is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. Its coastal areas form part of the homeland of the Garifuna people. Izabal is bordered to the north by Belize, to the northeast by the Gulf of Honduras, to the east by Honduras, and by th ...

(1:106)

People

Notable people with the surname De León include, * Beatrice de Leon (1902–1991), British Theatre manager *

Carlos Enrique Díaz de León Carlos Enrique Díaz de León was the provisional President of Guatemala from 27 June to 29 June 1954. He was replaced by a military junta led by Elfego Monzón. Carlos Enrique Díaz was previously Chief of the Guatemalan Armed Forces under Pre ...

(1910–1971), Provisional President of Guatemala 1954 *

Carlos de León Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhe ...

(1959–2020), Puerto Rican boxer * Charito de León (born 1939), Filipina actress *

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...

(born 1956), Filipino actor and politician *

Daniel De Leon Daniel De Leon (; December 14, 1852 – May 11, 1914), alternatively spelt Daniel de León, was a Curaçaoan-American socialist newspaper editor, politician, Marxist theoretician (Marxism), theoretician, and trade union organizer. He is regarde ...

(1852–1914), Venezuelan-born Sephardic Jew, American socialist and trade unionist * Delia de Leon (1901–1993), British actress and disciple of Meher Baba * Diego de León y Navarrete (1807-1841), Spanish military figure * Edgar René De León Moreno, Guatemalan politician * Edwin de Leon (1818-1891), American/Confederate diplomat and writer *

Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...

(born 1951), former Mexican president * Florante de Leon (born TBA), Filipino singer *

Gerardo de León Gerardo de Leon (September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981) was a Philippines, Filipino film director and actor. He was posthumously conferred as a National Artist of the Philippines for Film in 1982. Biography De Leon, who was born Gerardo Ilagan, ...

(1913–1981), Filipino film actor and director * Gil de León (1916–????), Filipino film actor and director * Jack de Leon (1902–1956), British theatre manager, impresario and playwright * Jane De Leon (born 1998), Filipina actress, singer, model, and dancer *

Joaquín Velázquez de León Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez), ...

, Minister of State of Mexico * Joel de León, styled Joel Deleōn (born 1999), American singer *

Joey de Leon Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr. (born October 14, 1946), professionally known as Joey de Leon and also known as Henyo Master, is a Filipino comedian, actor, television host and songwriter. He is one of the members of the comedy trio, collectively ...

(born 1946), Filipino comedian and television host *

José García de León y Pizarro José García de León y Pizarro (19 October 1770 in Madrid – 1835 in Madrid) was Minister of State (First Secretary of State) of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with ...

(1770–1835), Minister of State of Spain 1816–1818 *

José De León José Eugenio De León Domenech (born August 7, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cin ...

(born 1992), Puerto Rican baseball player * Juan Manuel de León Merchante (1626–1680), Spanish dramatist *

Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León ( – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in ...

(1460–1521), Spanish explorer and conquistador *

Juan Ponce de León II Juan Ponce de León II (1524–1591) was a Spanish official and an acting governor of Puerto Rico. He was the first acting governor to be born on the island. Early years Ponce de León II (birth name: Juan Troche Ponce de León), was born in San ...

(1524-1591), first Puerto Rican governor of Puerto Rico *

Juan Velázquez de León Juan Velázquez de León was a Spanish conquistador, who along with Hernán Cortés participated in the third Spanish expedition to continental America (present day Mexico) in 1519.Diaz, B., 1963, ''The Conquest of New Spain'', London: Penguin Book ...

(died 1520), Spanish conquistador with Hernán Cortés *

Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith Juana María de los Dolores de León, Lady Smith (27 March 1798 – 12 October 1872), was the wife of General Sir Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape Colony. Biography Born into an old Spanish noble family, she was a descendant of Juan Ponce d ...

(1798–1872), wife of General Sir Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa *

Kathleen de Leon Jones Kathleen de Leon Jones (born Kathleen de Leon, 1 September 1977) is a Filipino-born Australian actress, dancer, and singer. She was an original cast member of the ARIA Award winning Australian children's musical group Hi-5 from 1998 to 2006 an ...

(born 1977), Filipino-Australian singer, dancer, actress and television performer, Hi-5 * Lautaro De León (born 2001), Uruguayan footballer * Lotlot de Leon (born 1971), Filipina actress *

Luis de León Luis de León ( Belmonte, Cuenca, 1527 – Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Castile, Spain, 23 August 1591), was a Spanish lyric poet, Augustinian friar, theologian and academic. While serving as professor of Biblical scholarship at th ...

(1527–1591), Spanish lyric poet and Augustinian friar *

Luis Ponce de León (governor of New Spain) Luis Ponce de León (c. 1461 - July 20, 1526) was a Spanish judge and briefly the governor of New Spain, from July 4, 1526, to July 16, 1526. Biography Luis Ponce de León was an educated man and a knight of Cordoba. He was a friend and aide of ...

briefly the governor of New Spain, from July 4, 1526, to July 16, 1526 *

Mateo de la Mata Ponce de León Mateo de la Mata Ponce de León (sometimes ''Mateo de la Mata y Ponce de León'') (b. Requena, Valencia, Spain – d. November 16, 1720, Lima) was a Spanish colonial official in Peru. He was president of the '' Audiencia'' of Quito from 1691 to 1 ...

( 1720), Spanish colonial officer, interim viceroy of Peru 1716 *

McCoy De Leon Marc Carlos Francis de Jesus de Leon (born February 20, 1995) is a Filipino actor, dancer, and filmmaker. He is known as a member of #Hashtags, a male-group dance performer on the noontime variety show '' It's Showtime'' on ABS-CBN. He is know ...

(born 1995), Filipino actor and model *

Miguel de León Miguel Angel de León Lopez (born February 23, 1962) is a Venezuelan actor. He is better known simply as Miguel de León. He has acted mainly in telenovelas, which garnered him international fame across Latin America, where the genre is popular, ...

(born 1962), Venezuelan actor * Mike de León (Miguel de Leon) (born 1947), Filipino film director, scriptwriter, and producer *

Moses de León Moses de León ( 1240 – 1305), known in Hebrew as Moshe ben Shem-Tov (), was a Spanish rabbi and Kabbalist who first publicized the Zohar. Modern scholars believe the Zohar is his own work, despite his claim to have copied it out of an an ...

or Moshe ben Shem-Tov (1250–1305), Spanish rabbi and Kabbalist * Nathalie de Leon, Filipino-American chemist and physicist * Nick DeLeon (born 1990), American soccer player for D.C. United * Oscar de León (born 1943), Venezuelan singer *

Pedro Cieza de León Pedro Cieza de León ( Llerena, Spain c. 1518 or 1520 – Seville, Spain July 2, 1554) was a Spanish conquistador and chronicler of Peru and Popayán. He is known primarily for his extensive work, ''Crónicas del Perú'' (The Chronicle of Peru), ...

(1520–1554), Jewish-origin

New Christian New Christian (; ; ; ; ; ) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction referring to the population of former Jews, Jewish and Muslims, Muslim Conversion to Christianity, converts to Christianity in the Spanish Empire, Spanish and Po ...

Spanish conquistador and historian *

Pedro Ponce de León Don (title), Dom Pedro Ponce de Leon, O.S.B., (1520, Sahagún – 29 August 1584, Oña) was a Spanish people, Spanish Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monk who is often credited as being "the first teacher for the deaf". Biography Ponce de Leo ...

(1520-1584), Spanish Benedictine monk * Perla de Leon (born 1952), American artist and photographer * Rafael De Leon aka Roaring Lion (1908–1999), Trinidadian calypsonian *

Ramiro de León Carpio Ramiro de León Carpio (12 January 1942 – 16 April 2002) was a Guatemalan politician who served as the 43rd president of Guatemala from June 1993 until January 1996. He served as Guatemala's Attorney for Human Rights from August 1987 to ...

(1942–2002), President of Guatemala 1993–1996 * Rudy de Leon (born 1952), American Deputy Secretary of Defense * Thomas Cooper de Leon (1839–1914), American journalist, author, and playwright * Tiburcio de Leon, Filipino revolutionary general * Victor De Leon III aka Lil Poison, (born May 6, 1998) recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest professional video game player

Fictional characters

* Cervantes de León, character in the Soul Series of fighting games

References

{{surname, De León Spanish-language surnames Spanish toponymic surnames