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

Leathers, 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 Leathers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leathers in America

Leathers is the 6457th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leathers surname appeared 5,259 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Leathers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leathers 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 Leathers

The surname Leathers originated in England during the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "lether," meaning leather. This surname was given to individuals who worked as tanners or leather workers, a vital trade in medieval times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leathers can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, where a person named Robert le Lethere was mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the surname over time.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as William le Lethre, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1285, and John le Lethyre, found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The Leathers surname is also believed to have originated from place names like Leatherhead in Surrey, which was recorded as "Leddred" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This association suggests that some individuals may have taken their surname from the place where they resided or were born.

Notable individuals with the surname Leathers include:

1. John Leathers (c. 1554-1612), an English theologian and author born in Adwick-le-Street, Yorkshire.
2. Thomas Leathers (1624-1686), a prominent English Quaker minister from Wigan, Lancashire.
3. William Leathers (1789-1877), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
4. John Leathers (1819-1892), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
5. Samuel Leathers (1839-1921), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Winnipeg from 1897 to 1899.

While the Leathers surname has its roots in the leather trade and place names in England, it has since spread worldwide, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leathers

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

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

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

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