2000
#5,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Leatherman
An occupational surname referring to a person who works with leather, such as a tanner or leatherworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,669 Americans carry the last name Leatherman. That puts it at #6,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,461 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leatherman 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
5.7K
1 in 60,461
Census rank
#6,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,944 bearers of the surname Leatherman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leatherman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leatherman
The surname Leatherman is of English origin, derived from the occupation of a leather worker or maker of leather goods. It first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when surnames based on occupations became increasingly common in England.
The name is believed to have originated in various regions of England where the leather trade was prevalent, such as London, Bristol, and other major urban centers. It may have been derived from the Old English word "lether" or the Middle English "lether," meaning leather.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Leatherman appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332, where a John le Lethermonger is mentioned. The "le" prefix was commonly used in medieval times to indicate occupation, and "lethermonger" referred to a leather merchant or trader.
In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Letherman, Lethirman, and Lethyrman, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that era. Some examples include Thomas Lethirman, recorded in the Rotuli Parliamentorum in 1455, and John Lethyrman, mentioned in the Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem in 1467.
One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Nicholas Leatherman (c. 1485-1552), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1545. He was involved in the city's leather trade and served as a Member of Parliament for London.
Another individual of historical significance was John Leatherman (c. 1600-1670), a Puritan settler who immigrated to New England in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was among the founders of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and served as a deacon in the local church.
In the 18th century, the Leatherman surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a family of Leathermans owned a tannery and leather workshop in the city of Leeds. One member of this family, Samuel Leatherman (1725-1803), became a respected figure in the local community and served as a magistrate.
Another notable bearer of the name was Mary Leatherman (1774-1859), an English Quaker minister and author who traveled extensively, preaching and writing about her religious beliefs. Her memoirs, published posthumously, provide valuable insights into the life and experiences of a 19th-century Quaker woman.
Throughout its history, the surname Leatherman has been associated with the leather trade and various occupations related to the production and commerce of leather goods, reflecting its origins as an occupational surname in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leatherman
Among Census respondents with the surname Leatherman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Leatherman 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 Leatherman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 4,454
- Two or more races3.6% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 152
- Black or African American1.9% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leatherman
Leatherman 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
#6,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,696
+269 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#6,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,944
-752 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 544 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,840 | 5,427 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,033 | 5,696 | 1.93 | +269 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #6,577 | 4,944 | 1.65 | -752 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 544 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 Leatherman 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 | #6,033 | #6,577 | -9.0% |
| Count | 5,696 | 4,944 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.65 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leatherman bearers went from 5,696 to 4,944 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 544 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,033 to #6,577.
FAQ
Leatherman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leatherman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,669 living Americans carry the surname Leatherman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,461 residents.
How common is Leatherman?
Leatherman ranks #6,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,944 people with the surname Leatherman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,669), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Leatherman.
Has Leatherman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leatherman went from 5,696 recorded bearers to 4,944. That is a decrease of 752 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,033 to #6,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Leatherman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leatherman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Leatherman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (4,454 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leatherman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Leatherman (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 Leatherman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who works with leather, such as a tanner or leatherworker. 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 Leatherman (1.65 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 last name Leatherman?
You can see how many people have the last name Leatherman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.