2000
#483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.00
Uncommon Last name
Leon
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "leo," meaning "lion," likely referring to a brave or fierce person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 98,172 Americans carry the last name Leon. That puts it at #362 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,491 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leon 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 Leon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
98K
1 in 3,491
Census rank
#362
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
28.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
86K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 85,611 bearers of the surname Leon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 362nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leon
The surname Leon originated in Spain and is derived from the Latin name Leo, meaning "lion". It has its roots in the ancient Roman Empire, where the lion was a symbol of strength and courage. The name Leon likely emerged during the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, which lasted from the 5th to the 8th century.
During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms gradually regained control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, Leon became a prominent name associated with nobility and military prowess. The Kingdom of Leon, established in the 10th century, played a pivotal role in this period, and the name Leon gained significance as a symbol of power and resistance against the Moorish rulers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Leon can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that documented landholdings and privileges in Castile. The document mentions individuals with the surname Leon, indicating its widespread use during that time.
The name Leon has also been associated with various place names across Spain, such as Leon, a city in the northwestern region of the country, and the province of the same name. These place names likely derived from the surname, reflecting the influence and presence of families bearing the name in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Leon:
1. Antonio de León Pinelo (1589-1660), a Spanish scholar and colonial administrator in the Americas.
2. Fray Luis de León (1527-1591), a Spanish poet and theologian known for his contributions to the Spanish Renaissance literature.
3. Diego de León (c. 1500-1569), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
4. Ponce de León (c. 1460-1521), a Spanish explorer and conquistador famous for leading the first European expedition to Florida and his search for the mythical Fountain of Youth.
5. Alfonso X of Castile, also known as Alfonso the Wise (1221-1284), was a renowned king of Castile and Leon who patronized scholars and poets, contributing significantly to the development of the Castilian language and literature.
The surname Leon has a rich and enduring history, deeply rooted in the Iberian Peninsula and intertwined with the events that shaped the region's cultural and political landscapes over centuries. Its association with strength, nobility, and resistance against foreign rule has made it a prominent and respected name throughout Spain and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leon
Among Census respondents with the surname Leon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Leon 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 Leon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.7% · 73,372
- White9.6% · 8,184
- Black or African American2.7% · 2,342
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 873
- Two or more races0.6% · 541
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 299
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leon
Leon 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
#363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,363
+24,329 bearers (+39.2%)
Per 100,000 29.28
Rank movement Up 120 places
2020
#362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 85,611
-752 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 28.64
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #483 | 62,034 | 23.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #363 | 86,363 | 29.28 | +24,329 bearers (+39.2%) | Up 120 places |
| 2020 | #362 | 85,611 | 28.64 | -752 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 1 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 Leon 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 | #363 | #362 | 0.3% |
| Count | 86,363 | 85,611 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 29.28 | 28.64 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leon bearers went from 86,363 to 85,611 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #363 to #362.
FAQ
Leon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leon?
Name Census estimates that about 98,172 living Americans carry the surname Leon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,491 residents.
How common is Leon?
Leon ranks #362 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 85,611 people with the surname Leon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (98,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Leon.
Has Leon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leon went from 86,363 recorded bearers to 85,611. That is a decrease of 752 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #363 to #362.
What does the Census say about the background of Leon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Black (2.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (73,372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.7%), White (9.6%), Black (2.7%). 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 Leon (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 Leon mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "leo," meaning "lion," likely referring to a brave or fierce person. 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 Leon (28.64 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 Americans have the surname Leon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.