What is Leonard Hofstadter's middle name?

Leonard Hofstadter’s middle name is “Leakey.”

His full name is Dr. Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, the experimental physicist portrayed by Johnny Galecki throughout The Big Bang Theory. Leonard’s middle name is unusual enough that the show treats it as a recurring source of embarrassment and teasing.

The name refers to Louis Leakey, the renowned British-Kenyan paleoanthropologist. Leonard’s father, Alfred Hofstadter, is an anthropologist who worked with Louis Leakey, providing the in-universe reason for choosing the name. The reference also fits the Hofstadter family’s strongly academic background.

“Leakey” is sometimes confused with possible middle names beginning with L, such as Lawrence or Louis. Louis is especially tempting because it is the first name of the anthropologist who inspired Leonard’s middle name, but it is not Leonard’s middle name. The character’s canonical full name is Leonard Leakey Hofstadter.