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

Leander, 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 Leander surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leander in America

Leander is the 29878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leander surname appeared 786 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Leander.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leander 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 Leander

The surname Leander is of Greek origin, with its roots dating back to ancient times. The name is derived from the Greek words "leon" meaning lion and "andros" meaning man, essentially translating to "lion man" or "brave as a lion." It is believed to have first emerged in the region of ancient Greece.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Leander can be found in Greek mythology and literature. In the Greek myth, Leander was a young man from Abydos who fell in love with Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite from Sestos. Every night, he would swim across the Hellespont strait to meet her, guided by a lamp she lit atop a tower. Tragically, one stormy night the lamp was extinguished, and Leander drowned in the turbulent waters.

During the Byzantine era, the name Leander appeared in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the writings of the 6th century Byzantine historian Procopius, who recounted the exploits of a general named Leander during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.

In the Middle Ages, the name Leander found its way to Western Europe, particularly in regions with Greek cultural influences, such as Italy and Spain. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Leander of Seville, a 6th century Spanish bishop and saint known for his efforts in converting the Visigoths to Catholicism.

Over the centuries, the name Leander has been borne by several notable individuals, including:

1. Leander Anguissola (1498-1571), an Italian painter and member of the renowned Anguissola family of artists from Cremona.
2. Leandro Fernández de Moratín (1760-1828), a Spanish neoclassical playwright and poet, considered one of the leading figures of the Spanish Enlightenment.
3. Leander Starr Jameson (1853-1917), a British colonial administrator and leader of the infamous Jameson Raid, an abortive coup attempt against the South African Republic (Transvaal).
4. Leander J. McCormick (1835-1900), an American inventor and entrepreneur who pioneered mechanical reaping machines and founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company.
5. Leander Paes (born 1973), an Indian professional tennis player and one of the most successful doubles players in the history of the sport, with numerous Grand Slam titles to his name.

While the surname Leander has Greek origins, it has been adopted and adapted by various cultures throughout history, reflecting the global reach and enduring appeal of this name with its connotations of bravery and strength.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leander

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

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

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

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