2000
#2,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.53
Uncommon Last name
Leavitt
An English occupational surname for someone who was a leavener, or baker, deriving from the Old English "hlāfæta."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,719 Americans carry the last name Leavitt. That puts it at #2,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leavitt 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
15K
1 in 23,287
Census rank
#2,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,836 bearers of the surname Leavitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leavitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leavitt
The surname Leavitt has its origins in England, believed to have derived from the Old English word "leav" or "lefe," which means "beloved" or "dear." The name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Lefuuiet in Berkshire, England. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the surname over time, as it gradually transformed into its more modern form, Leavitt.
During the Middle Ages, the Leavitt family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. The name was also associated with various place names, such as Leavitt Hill in Oxfordshire and Leavitt's Farm in Gloucestershire.
One notable bearer of the Leavitt surname was Sir Thomas Leavitt (c. 1490-1554), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire. He played a significant role in the local governance of his county and was appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1536.
Another prominent figure was John Leavitt (1608-1691), an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He and his family were among the founders of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts, and he served as a deacon in the local church.
In the 18th century, Reverend Jonathan Leavitt (1676-1762) was a renowned Congregationalist minister in Connecticut. He was also a respected scholar and published several theological works during his lifetime.
During the American Revolutionary War, Nathaniel Leavitt (1744-1825) served as a captain in the Continental Army and participated in several key battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill.
In the literary world, Robert Leavitt (1865-1942) was a notable American poet and writer. He authored several volumes of poetry and was a respected figure in the New England literary scene of the early 20th century.
These examples illustrate the long and diverse history of the Leavitt surname, spanning various fields and regions throughout the centuries. While the name's origins can be traced back to England, its bearers have left their mark across the globe, contributing to the rich tapestry of human experience.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leavitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Leavitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leavitt 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 Leavitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 11,514
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 514
- Two or more races3.6% · 460
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 102
- Black or African American0.5% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leavitt
Leavitt 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
#2,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,133
+910 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 4.45
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#2,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,836
-297 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.29
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,702 | 12,223 | 4.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,743 | 13,133 | 4.45 | +910 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #2,734 | 12,836 | 4.29 | -297 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 9 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 Leavitt 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 | #2,743 | #2,734 | 0.3% |
| Count | 13,133 | 12,836 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.45 | 4.29 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leavitt bearers went from 13,133 to 12,836 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,743 to #2,734.
FAQ
Leavitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leavitt?
Name Census estimates that about 14,719 living Americans carry the surname Leavitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,287 residents.
How common is Leavitt?
Leavitt ranks #2,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,836 people with the surname Leavitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,719), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Leavitt.
Has Leavitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leavitt went from 13,133 recorded bearers to 12,836. That is a decrease of 297 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,743 to #2,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Leavitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leavitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Leavitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (11,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leavitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Leavitt (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 Leavitt mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who was a leavener, or baker, deriving from the Old English "hlāfæta." 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 Leavitt (4.29 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 Leavitt?
See how many people have the last name Leavitt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.