Leroi
A French form of the given name Leroy meaning "the king".
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the first name Leroi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leroi today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leroi births was 1969 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leroi. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
125
~ 1 in 2,742,035 Americans
Peak year
1969
10 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2016 SSA rank
#9,356
Tracked since 1922
Census
Leroi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 210 people with the first name Leroi, which placed it at #37,260 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#37,260
National first-name rank
People counted
210
210 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leroi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leroi is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Leroi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Leroi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.4% · 131
- White20.0% · 42
- Two or more races7.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Leroi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leroi from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 38 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Leroi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leroi by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leroi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leroi
The name Leroi has its origins in the French language, emerging during the medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "le roi," which translates to "the king." This suggests that the name was likely bestowed upon individuals with a regal or noble lineage or those who held positions of authority and leadership.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled in various ways, including "Le Roi," "Leroy," and "Leroi." It was commonly used among the French nobility and aristocracy, particularly in regions like Normandy and Île-de-France, where French culture and language were deeply rooted.
While there are no definitive historical records indicating the appearance of the name Leroi in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its French origins and connection to royalty and nobility have been well-documented throughout the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leroi can be traced back to the 12th century, when a French nobleman named Leroi de Bretagne was mentioned in chronicles from the region of Brittany. Another notable figure was Leroi de Champagne, a prominent lord who lived during the 13th century and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Champagne region.
Throughout history, several individuals bearing the name Leroi have made their mark in various fields. One such person was Leroi de Navarre (1510-1555), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Francis I and played a pivotal role in the Italian Wars of the 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Leroi de Gomberville (1600-1674) was a notable French writer and poet who authored several works, including the epic poem "Endymion." His contributions to French literature during the 17th century were widely acclaimed.
Another notable figure was Leroi de Lionne (1616-1671), a French statesman and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under King Louis XIV. He played a crucial role in shaping France's foreign policy during the latter part of the 17th century.
In the field of science, Leroi de Buffon (1707-1788) was a prominent French naturalist, mathematician, and cosmologist. He is best known for his monumental work "Histoire Naturelle," a comprehensive 36-volume encyclopedia that covered various aspects of natural history.
Lastly, Leroi de Beauchene (1729-1805) was a French naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the South Pacific and contributed significantly to the exploration and mapping of the region during the 18th century.
People
Leroi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leroi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leroi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leroi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leroi going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,742,035 US residents.
Is Leroi a common name?
We classify Leroi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leroi most popular?
The single biggest year for Leroi was 1969, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leroi is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leroi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 210 people with the name Leroi, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,260 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Leroi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Leroi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leroi appears almost entirely male. Of the 208 people counted with this name, 99.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Leroi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leroi is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Leroi most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Leroi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.4% (131 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leroi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leroi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leroi in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leroi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leroi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leroi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Leroi?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Leroi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.