2000
#3,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,756
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.62
Uncommon Last name
Leigh
A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow, woodland, or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,515 Americans carry the last name Leigh. That puts it at #3,468 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leigh 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 Leigh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,766
Census rank
#3,468
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,042 bearers of the surname Leigh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3468th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leigh
The surname Leigh has its origins in England, with roots dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow or woodland clearing. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a clearing or wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Legh" and "de la Leigh." These entries indicate that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, when many English surnames began to take shape.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Legh, Leighe, and Ley appearing in historical records. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors.
Leigh was also used as a place name, particularly in areas like Cheshire and Lancashire, where several townships and villages bore the name. For example, the town of Leigh in Greater Manchester was recorded as "Legh" in the Domesday Book.
One notable figure associated with the surname Leigh was Sir Peter Legh (c. 1501-1590), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Sir Thomas Leigh (1504-1571), a Lord Mayor of London and benefactor of the nearby village of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.
In the literary world, the surname is carried by Augusta Leigh (1784-1851), the half-sister and rumored lover of Lord Byron. The poet Vivian Leigh (1913-1967), famous for her portrayal of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, also bore this surname, although it was her married name.
Other notable individuals with the Leigh surname include the English philosopher Jasper Leigh (c. 1548-1589), the English Puritan minister William Leigh (1550-1639), and the British actor and director Richard Leigh (1943-2022).
While the surname Leigh may have origins in specific regions of England, it has since spread worldwide, carried by descendants of those who bore the name in its early days.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leigh
Among Census respondents with the surname Leigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Leigh 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 Leigh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 7,455
- Black or African American14.0% · 1,406
- Two or more races4.4% · 440
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 415
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 281
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leigh
Leigh 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
#3,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,213
+457 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.46
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#3,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,042
-171 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.36
Rank movement Up 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,350 | 9,756 | 3.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,499 | 10,213 | 3.46 | +457 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #3,468 | 10,042 | 3.36 | -171 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 31 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 Leigh 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 | #3,499 | #3,468 | 0.9% |
| Count | 10,213 | 10,042 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.46 | 3.36 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leigh bearers went from 10,213 to 10,042 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,499 to #3,468.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leigh
FAQ
Leigh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leigh?
Name Census estimates that about 11,515 living Americans carry the surname Leigh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,766 residents.
How common is Leigh?
Leigh ranks #3,468 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,042 people with the surname Leigh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Leigh.
Has Leigh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leigh went from 10,213 recorded bearers to 10,042. That is a decrease of 171 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,499 to #3,468.
What does the Census say about the background of Leigh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Leigh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (7,455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leigh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Leigh (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 Leigh mean?
A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow, woodland, or clearing. 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 Leigh (3.36 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 common is the surname Leigh?
If you just want to know how common the surname Leigh is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.