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

Leach, 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 Leach surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leach in America

Leach is the 772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leach surname appeared 44,581 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Leach.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leach 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 Leach

The surname Leach originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'læce', meaning physician or healer. It was an occupational name given to individuals who practiced folk medicine or herbal remedies.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Osbert le Leche, who lived in Worcester, England in the late 12th century. The surname appeared in various spellings in medieval records, such as le Leche, le Liche, and Leache.

In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are no direct mentions of the surname Leach. However, the name likely evolved from similar occupational names listed in the survey.

The surname Leach can be traced to various regions in England, including Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire. Some early examples include Robert le Lechche from Lancashire in 1246 and William le Leche from Yorkshire in 1297.

Notable individuals with the surname Leach throughout history include:

1. John Leach (c. 1590-1659), an English Puritan clergyman and President of Harvard College from 1675 to 1676.
2. Jonathan Leach (1628-1688), an English Baptist minister and a founder of the General Baptist movement.
3. Bernard Leach (1887-1979), a renowned British studio potter and art teacher, widely regarded as the 'Father of British studio pottery'.
4. Reginald Leach (1888-1970), an English football player who played for Everton and the English national team in the early 20th century.
5. Sidney Leach (1892-1963), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the English national team in the 1920s.

The surname Leach continues to be present in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong historical ties to England, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leach

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

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 Leach 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 Leach 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 Leach was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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