2000
#53,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Leakey
An English surname likely derived from a place name or referring to someone who lived near a leaky stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 382 Americans carry the last name Leakey. That puts it at #64,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 897,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leakey 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 Leakey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
382
1 in 897,263
Census rank
#64,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
333
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 333 bearers of the surname Leakey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leakey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leakey
The surname Leakey has its origins in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have emerged during the late 12th century or early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "leac," meaning a vegetable garden or field, and the suffix "-ey," which denotes a location or place. Thus, the name Leakey likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a vegetable garden or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leakey can be found in the records of the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, where a John de Lekey is mentioned. The prefix "de" in this case indicates the place of origin or residence. The name also appears in various medieval records and documents, such as the Lancashire Inquisitions of the 16th century, where a William Leakey is mentioned.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Leakey was particularly prevalent in the areas around Rochdale and Oldham in Lancashire. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged during this time, including John Leakey (1541-1611), a wealthy landowner and justice of the peace in Rochdale, and Richard Leakey (1593-1667), a clergyman and rector of Middleton in Lancashire.
As the name spread across England, different spelling variations arose, such as Leaky, Leckey, and Leckie. One prominent individual with this surname was William Leakey (1792-1865), a renowned British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge.
Another significant figure bearing the Leakey name was the renowned family of paleoanthropologists and archaeologists, most notably Louis Leakey (1903-1972), a Kenyan-born British archaeologist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the understanding of human evolution through his work in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. His wife, Mary Leakey (1913-1996), and their son, Richard Leakey (1944-2022), also gained international recognition for their pioneering work in paleoanthropology and their discoveries of important fossil remains.
Throughout history, the Leakey surname has been associated with various professions and fields, from landowners and clergymen to architects and renowned scientists. While the name's origins can be traced back to the northern counties of England, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals and families who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leakey
Among Census respondents with the surname Leakey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leakey 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 Leakey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 289
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 16
- Black or African American4.5% · 15
- Two or more races2.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leakey
Leakey 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
#57,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351
-9 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 4,132 places
2020
#64,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 333
-18 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,782 | 360 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,914 | 351 | 0.12 | -9 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,132 places |
| 2020 | #64,521 | 333 | 0.11 | -18 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 6,607 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 Leakey 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 | #57,914 | #64,521 | -11.4% |
| Count | 351 | 333 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leakey bearers went from 351 to 333 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 6,607 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,914 to #64,521.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leakey
FAQ
Leakey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leakey?
Name Census estimates that about 382 living Americans carry the surname Leakey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 897,263 residents.
How common is Leakey?
Leakey ranks #64,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 333 people with the surname Leakey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leakey.
Has Leakey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leakey went from 351 recorded bearers to 333. That is a decrease of 18 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,914 to #64,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Leakey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leakey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.5%). 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 Leakey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leakey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (4.5%). 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 Leakey (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 Leakey mean?
An English surname likely derived from a place name or referring to someone who lived near a leaky stream. 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 Leakey (0.11 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 common is the surname Leakey?
See how common the surname Leakey is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.