Find out how popular the last name Lea is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lea.

Lea, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lea in America

Lea is the 3863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lea surname appeared 9,180 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Lea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lea to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lea

The surname LEA is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow, clearing, or woodland glade. It originated as a toponymic surname, indicating that the bearer lived near or came from a place with this geographic feature.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with notable examples including Robert de la Lye, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and William de la Leye, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with names derived from "leah," such as Lega in Lincolnshire and Lye in Worcestershire, which may have influenced the development of the surname.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Lea, Lee, Legh, and Leigh, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and scribal interpretations. These variations often led to confusion and interchangeable use of the spellings.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Thomas de la Lee (c. 1345 - 1407), a prominent English soldier and landowner during the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. He served as a Knight of the Garter and was appointed constable of Chester Castle.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Lea (c. 1480 - 1539), a member of the English gentry who served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII.

During the English Civil War, William Lilly (1602 - 1681), an English astrologer and author, gained fame for his accurate predictions and astrological writings. He was widely consulted by both Royalists and Parliamentarians during the conflict.

In the literary realm, Mary Lea (1623 - 1700) was a notable Quaker writer and minister from Leicestershire, renowned for her spiritual autobiographies and religious works.

The Lea family has also produced notable figures in the fields of science and academia, such as Sir Thomas Lea (1857 - 1939), a distinguished British zoologist and expert on deep-sea fauna, and Henry Charles Lea (1825 - 1909), an American historian and scholar of medieval history and the Spanish Inquisition.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lea

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lea.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lea was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lea has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lea was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lea, please contact us.

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