Leo

Leo is the lion in the Latin, the constellation that rises in high summer, and the name of thirteen popes who walked the marble halls of the Vatican. It has also belonged to a Tolstoy, a DiCaprio, and a surprisingly large number of very small children in Brooklyn coffee shops. The name has surged back into the American top twenty-five after a long mid-century lull, buoyed by its short, sunny shape. One syllable that opens wide on the long o, a name that sounds like a roar softened into a grin. Strong, celestial, a little golden. It suits a child who will stand at the front of the group photo without being asked.