2000
#1,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.00
Uncommon Last name
Leslie
A habitational surname derived from various places in Scotland, likely referring to a fortified ridge or garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,539 Americans carry the last name Leslie. That puts it at #1,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,446 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leslie 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 Leslie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,446
Census rank
#1,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,015 bearers of the surname Leslie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leslie, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leslie
The surname Leslie has its origins in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "lios" meaning "garden" or "enclosure" and "lìth" meaning "gray" or "green." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a gray or green garden or enclosure.
The Leslie family can trace their roots to the lands of Leslyn, near the village of Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The first recorded bearer of the name was Bartholomew de Leslyn, who received a charter for these lands in 1171 from King William the Lion.
The name appears in various historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where several individuals with the surname Leslie are listed as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England. The surname is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century.
One of the earliest prominent members of the Leslie family was Sir Andrew Leslie, who was a Scottish knight and commander in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England in the early 14th century. He fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and was instrumental in the Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Another notable figure was Alexander Leslie (1580-1661), a Scottish military commander who played a significant role in the Scottish Civil War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He served as a general in the Scottish Covenanter army and was instrumental in the victory over the Royalists at the Battle of Newburn in 1640.
In the literary world, Frank Leslie (1821-1880) was a Scottish-American publisher and entrepreneur who founded several popular magazines, including Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Leslie include John Leslie (1766-1832), a Scottish mathematician and physicist who made important contributions to the study of heat and the understanding of capillary action, and Lisa Leslie (born 1972), an American former professional basketball player who is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the WNBA.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leslie
Among Census respondents with the surname Leslie, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Leslie 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 Leslie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 16,788
- Black or African American19.2% · 4,607
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,027
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 1,022
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 277
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leslie
Leslie 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
#1,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,078
+812 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 8.50
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#1,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,015
-1,063 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 8.03
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,335 | 24,266 | 9.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,417 | 25,078 | 8.50 | +812 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #1,446 | 24,015 | 8.03 | -1,063 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 29 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 Leslie 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 | #1,417 | #1,446 | -2.0% |
| Count | 25,078 | 24,015 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.50 | 8.03 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leslie bearers went from 25,078 to 24,015 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,417 to #1,446.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leslie
FAQ
Leslie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leslie?
Name Census estimates that about 27,539 living Americans carry the surname Leslie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,446 residents.
How common is Leslie?
Leslie ranks #1,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,015 people with the surname Leslie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,539), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Leslie.
Has Leslie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leslie went from 25,078 recorded bearers to 24,015. That is a decrease of 1,063 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,417 to #1,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Leslie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leslie, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Leslie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (16,788 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leslie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.9%), Black (19.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Leslie (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 Leslie mean?
A habitational surname derived from various places in Scotland, likely referring to a fortified ridge or garden. 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 Leslie (8.03 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 share the surname Leslie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.