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Lionel is one of my all-time favorite names. If I ever got to name an actual human, it is very likely that that would be the name they would end up with. Also, it reminds me vastly more of model trains than of lions.

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Leonel I haven't heard before, and I can't say I'm fond of it. It just strikes me as a not-as-cool version of Lionel, rather than its own thing.

Not a fan of either spelling. My cousin have a son named Lionel, and I also know of a Leonel born a month after my son.

Sounds like a middle aged British guy to me. Has a slick, spiffy quality, like Nigel or Neville. Also brings Lionel Ritchie to mind.
Your pronunciation sounds very wrong to me. I hear it as almost two-syllable - LYE'nl.
Leonel (which I'd say as LEE-on-ul) is more appealing, but for some reason I would tend to read it as feminine. Maybe it reminds me too much of Leona + Laurel. I would be cured of that if I met a guy named Leonel, though. It'd make me think of Leo.

This message was edited 3/13/2020, 12:56 PM

Sounds like LIEonel to me. It's all right, but no better than that, with a slightly old-Hollywood vibe.

Too in-your-face with its meaning of "lion".

I love it!

It's ok

It sounds a bit too sleek and slippery, and I prefer other Leo- names, but it's okay.