Leander

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: from Greek Leandros meaning "lion man" or "lion of a man" from Greek leon (lion) and aner (the genitive form for man).

In Greek mythology, Leander was a young man who fell in love with Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite. The two lived on opposite sides of the Hellespont and every night Leander would swim the river guided by the lamp she lit to guide him. One night there was a storm and he drowned. When Hero saw his dead body, she killed herself in grief by throwing herself over the tower.


Variants:

• Leandros (Greek)
• Léandre (French)
• Leandro (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)

Female forms:

• Leandra