2000
#18,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Leanos
Derived from the Spanish word "llano," referring to someone who lived on a plain or in a meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,174 Americans carry the last name Leanos. That puts it at #14,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leanos 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,661
Census rank
#14,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,896 bearers of the surname Leanos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leanos
The surname LEANOS is believed to have originated from Spain, specifically the northern regions of the country. Its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
LEANOS is thought to be a variation of the Spanish word "llano," which means "plain" or "flat." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term used to identify individuals who resided in flat or plain areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LEANOS surname can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, where a document from the year 1287 mentions a certain "Pedro de Leanos" as a landowner in the region.
During the 15th century, the LEANOS name appears to have spread to other parts of Spain, with records indicating families bearing this surname in regions like Castile and Andalusia. A notable figure from this time period was Diego de Leanos, a prominent merchant from Seville who lived between 1438 and 1502.
As Spain expanded its influence across the globe through exploration and colonization, the LEANOS surname also found its way to the Americas. In the 16th century, records show that a Juan Leanos was among the early Spanish settlers in Mexico, where he established a successful cattle ranch.
Another significant individual with the LEANOS surname was Catalina de Leanos, a influential figure in the Spanish court during the reign of King Philip IV in the early 17th century. She served as a lady-in-waiting to the queen and was known for her influential role in court politics.
In the 18th century, Francisco Leanos, a Spanish military officer, gained recognition for his service in the Spanish Army during the War of the Quadruple Alliance against France. He was born in 1682 and died in 1758.
The LEANOS surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as the town of Leanos in the province of Asturias, and the village of Leanos in the province of Burgos.
While the LEANOS name has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who emigrated from the Iberian Peninsula. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Spanish heritage and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leanos
Among Census respondents with the surname Leanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leanos 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 Leanos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 1,798
- White4.0% · 76
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- Two or more races0.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leanos
Leanos 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
#14,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
+653 bearers (+49.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 4,033 places
2020
#14,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
-88 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,953 | 1,331 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,920 | 1,984 | 0.67 | +653 bearers (+49.1%) | Up 4,033 places |
| 2020 | #14,966 | 1,896 | 0.63 | -88 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 46 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 Leanos 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 | #14,920 | #14,966 | -0.3% |
| Count | 1,984 | 1,896 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leanos bearers went from 1,984 to 1,896 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,920 to #14,966.
FAQ
Leanos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leanos?
Name Census estimates that about 2,174 living Americans carry the surname Leanos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,661 residents.
How common is Leanos?
Leanos ranks #14,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,896 people with the surname Leanos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Leanos.
Has Leanos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leanos went from 1,984 recorded bearers to 1,896. That is a decrease of 88 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,920 to #14,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Leanos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leanos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (1,798 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leanos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (4.0%), Black (0.5%). 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 Leanos (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 Leanos mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "llano," referring to someone who lived on a plain or in a meadow. 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 Leanos (0.63 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 many people have the surname Leanos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.