Leathie
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Leathie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leathie today is around 120 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leathie births was 1904 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leathie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Leathie is about 120 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Leathies were born before 1916.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leathie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1904
7 babies that year
Average age
120
years old
1937 SSA rank
#4,613
Tracked since 1888
Popularity
Leathie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leathie from the 1880s through to the 1930s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 23 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1890s peak, Leathie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leathie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leathie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leathie
The given name Leathie has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language. Derived from the Old Gaelic word "lethain," which means "broad" or "extensive," the name was originally used to describe someone with a larger physical stature or a generous personality.
In the early medieval period, the name Leathie was primarily found in the Highlands and Isles regions of Scotland, where Gaelic culture and traditions were deeply rooted. Some historical records suggest that the name may have appeared in ancient Celtic manuscripts or oral traditions, but definitive sources are scarce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leathie can be found in the chronicles of the Clan MacDonald, a powerful Scottish clan from the Hebrides Islands. In the 14th century, a warrior named Leathie MacDonald was renowned for his bravery and skill in battle, earning him a place in the clan's oral histories.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Leathie. In the 16th century, Leathie MacGregor was a respected healer and herbalist in the Scottish Highlands, renowned for her extensive knowledge of traditional remedies and medicinal plants.
In the 18th century, Leathie Campbell was a celebrated poet and storyteller from the Isle of Skye. Her works, which celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Gaelic people, were widely shared and preserved through oral tradition.
Another notable figure was Leathie Mackenzie, a 19th-century educator and advocate for women's rights. She established one of the first schools for girls in the Highlands, providing educational opportunities that were rare at the time.
In the 20th century, Leathie Ross was a renowned Scottish artist known for her vibrant landscape paintings, which captured the rugged beauty of the Highlands and Islands. Her work continues to be celebrated and exhibited in galleries throughout Scotland.
While not as common as it once was, the name Leathie remains a cherished part of Scottish heritage, carrying with it a sense of strength, generosity, and connection to the rich cultural traditions of the Gaelic people.
People
Leathie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leathie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leathie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leathie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leathie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Leathie a common name?
We classify Leathie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 93 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leathie most popular?
The single biggest year for Leathie was 1904, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leathie is about 120 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leathie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leathie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leathie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leathie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leathie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leathie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Leathie?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.