2000
#2,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.61
Uncommon Last name
Leary
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire," a personal name meaning "calf-herder."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,694 Americans carry the last name Leary. That puts it at #2,429 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leary surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Leary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,532
Census rank
#2,429
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,558 bearers of the surname Leary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2429th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leary, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leary
The surname Leary originated in Ireland, where it is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Laoghaire. The name derives from the Gaelic word "laoghaire," meaning "calf-herder" or "prosperous."
The name O'Laoghaire is associated with County Cork in southern Ireland, particularly the areas around Cork City and the Corca Laidhe region. It is thought to have originated as a hereditary surname among a family of cattle herders or traders in this region during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval chronicle of Irish history, which mentions an individual named Máel Muire Ua Laoghaire in the year 1028. The name is also found in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important historical source, referring to various individuals with the surname O'Laoghaire from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
The surname Leary emerged as an anglicized version of O'Laoghaire during the 16th and 17th centuries, as the use of English names and spellings became more widespread in Ireland. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the anglicized spelling was Dermot Leary, who was born around 1560 in County Cork.
Notable individuals with the surname Leary include:
1. Timothy Leary (1920-1996), an American psychologist and writer known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs and his catchphrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out."
2. Denis Leary (born 1957), an American actor, comedian, and writer, known for his roles in movies like "The Ref" and TV shows like "Rescue Me."
3. Nicky Leary (born 1966), an English rally car driver and former British Rally Champion.
4. Brendan Leary (born 1962), an American actor and voice artist known for his work in video games and animated series.
5. Patrick Leary (1834-1920), an Irish-born American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Kansas from 1885 to 1889.
While the name Leary has spread beyond Ireland and can be found in various parts of the world today, its origins lie in the ancient Irish clan of O'Laoghaire, with a long and rich history in County Cork and the surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leary
Among Census respondents with the surname Leary, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Leary bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Leary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 11,447
- Black or African American14.0% · 2,045
- Two or more races3.1% · 448
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 440
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leary
Leary appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,505
+378 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 5.26
Rank movement Down 148 places
2020
#2,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,558
-947 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 4.87
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,203 | 15,127 | 5.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,351 | 15,505 | 5.26 | +378 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 148 places |
| 2020 | #2,429 | 14,558 | 4.87 | -947 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 78 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Leary surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,351 | #2,429 | -3.3% |
| Count | 15,505 | 14,558 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.26 | 4.87 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leary bearers went from 15,505 to 14,558 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,351 to #2,429.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leary
FAQ
Leary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leary?
Name Census estimates that about 16,694 living Americans carry the surname Leary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,532 residents.
How common is Leary?
Leary ranks #2,429 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,558 people with the surname Leary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,694), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Leary.
Has Leary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leary went from 15,505 recorded bearers to 14,558. That is a decrease of 947 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,351 to #2,429.
What does the Census say about the background of Leary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leary, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (11,447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Leary (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Leary mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire," a personal name meaning "calf-herder." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Leary (4.87 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Leary?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Leary on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.