2000
#10,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,877
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Lesley
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "a clearing or meadow near a lacustrine or marsh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,134 Americans carry the last name Lesley. That puts it at #11,085 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,366 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lesley 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 Lesley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,366
Census rank
#11,085
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,733 bearers of the surname Lesley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11085th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesley, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lesley
The surname Lesley has its origins in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Norman French word "lesselier," meaning "the dweller at the less-enclosed or less-fortified place." The name is thought to have originated in the region of Aberdeenshire, where the Leslies were a prominent family.
The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Chartulary of the Abbey of Lindores, dated around 1195, where a "Norman de Lesselyn" is mentioned. The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.
One of the earliest and most notable bearers of the name was Sir Andrew de Lesly, who fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was present at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and is believed to have been the inspiration for the character of Sir Andrew Wood in Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Talisman."
Another prominent figure in the Lesley family was George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes (1613-1667), a Scottish nobleman and military commander who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was later appointed Lord Chancellor of Scotland by King Charles II.
In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Leshley" or "Leshlie," reflecting the spelling variations common in that era. One notable example is John Leshley (c. 1527-1596), a Scottish prelate who served as Bishop of Ross and later Bishop of Raphoe in Ireland.
During the 17th century, the Leslies were an influential family in Scotland, holding lands and titles in various regions, including Aberdeenshire and Fife. One prominent figure was John Leslie (1571-1671), a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who was appointed the first Mathematician to the King of Scotland by King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition in the literary world with Charles Leslie (1650-1722), an Irish theologian and controversialist who wrote extensively in defense of the Church of England and the Stuart monarchy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lesley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesley, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lesley 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 Lesley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 2,021
- Black or African American15.9% · 435
- Two or more races5.3% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lesley
Lesley 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
#10,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,925
+48 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 625 places
2020
#11,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,733
-192 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,266 | 2,877 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,891 | 2,925 | 0.99 | +48 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 625 places |
| 2020 | #11,085 | 2,733 | 0.91 | -192 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 194 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 Lesley 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 | #10,891 | #11,085 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,925 | 2,733 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.91 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lesley bearers went from 2,925 to 2,733 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,891 to #11,085.
FAQ
Lesley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lesley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,134 living Americans carry the surname Lesley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,366 residents.
How common is Lesley?
Lesley ranks #11,085 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,733 people with the surname Lesley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lesley.
Has Lesley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lesley went from 2,925 recorded bearers to 2,733. That is a decrease of 192 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,891 to #11,085.
What does the Census say about the background of Lesley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesley, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Lesley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (2,021 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lesley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Black (15.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Lesley (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 Lesley mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "a clearing or meadow near a lacustrine or marsh." 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 Lesley (0.91 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 surname Lesley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.