De León (surname)

De León or de León or De Leon is a Spanish origin surname, often toponymic, in which case it may possibly indicate an ultimate family origin in the Kingdom of León or the later Province of León.

Geographical distribution
As of 2014, 29.7% of all known bearers of the surname de León were residents of the Philippines (frequency 1:647), 26.4% of Guatemala (1:116), 20.0% of Mexico (1:1,179), 8.1% of the Dominican Republic (1:244), 4.1% of Panama (1:182), 2.2% of the United States (1:31,581), 2.1% of Uruguay (1:313), 1.7% of Spain (1:5,084) and 1.0% of El Salvador (1:1,194).

In Spain, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:5,084) in the following autonomous communities:
 * 1. Canary Islands (1:427)
 * 2. Community of Madrid (1:4,329)

In Guatemala, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:116) in the following departments:
 * 1. San Marcos Department (1:35)
 * 2. Jutiapa Department (1:42)
 * 3. Quetzaltenango Department (1:45)
 * 4. Retalhuleu Department (1:49)
 * 5. El Progreso Department (1:72)
 * 6. Suchitepéquez Department (1:100)
 * 7. Izabal Department (1:106)

People
Notable people with the surname De León include,
 * Beatrice de Leon (1902–1991), British Theatre manager
 * Carlos Enrique Díaz de León (1910–1971), Provisional President of Guatemala 1954
 * Carlos de León (1959–2020), Puerto Rican boxer
 * Charito de León (born 1939), Filipina actress
 * Christopher de Leon (born 1956), Filipino actor and politician
 * Daniel De Leon (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 (born 1951), former Mexican president
 * Florante de Leon (born TBA), Filipino singer
 * Gerardo de León (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, Minister of State of Mexico
 * Joel de León, styled Joel Deleōn (born 1999), American singer
 * Joey de Leon (born 1946), Filipino comedian and television host
 * José García de León y Pizarro (1770–1835), Minister of State of Spain 1816–1818
 * José De León (born 1992), Puerto Rican baseball player
 * Juan Manuel de León Merchante (1626–1680), Spanish dramatist
 * Juan Ponce de León (1460–1521), Spanish explorer and conquistador
 * Juan Ponce de León II (1524-1591), first Puerto Rican governor of Puerto Rico
 * Juan Velázquez de León (died 1520), Spanish conquistador with Hernán Cortés
 * Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith (1798–1872), wife of General Sir Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa
 * Kathleen de Leon Jones (born 1977), Filipino-Australian singer, dancer, actress and television performer, Hi-5
 * Lautaro De León (born 2001), Uruguayan footballer
 * Luis de León (1527–1591), Spanish lyric poet and Augustinian friar
 * Luis Ponce de León (governor of New Spain) briefly the governor of New Spain, from July 4, 1526, to July 16, 1526
 * Mateo de la Mata Ponce de León ([?]-1720), Spanish colonial officer, interim viceroy of Peru 1716
 * McCoy De Leon (born 1995), Filipino actor and model
 * Miguel de León (born 1962), Venezuelan actor
 * Mike de León (Miguel de Leon) (born 1947), Filipino film director, scriptwriter, and producer
 * Moses de León 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 (1520–1554), Jewish-origin New Christian Spanish conquistador and historian
 * Pedro Ponce de León (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 (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