2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leaym
A toponymic surname indicating an area of origin, probably for a place with muddy or marshy ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Leaym. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leaym 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Leaym in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leaym, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leaym
The surname LEAYM originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word 'leah', meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a meadow or woodland clearing.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Leaham'. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir William de Leaym, a knight who fought in the Crusades during the late 12th century. He is mentioned in the chronicles of the Third Crusade, which took place between 1189 and 1192.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various manorial records and tax rolls, with spellings such as 'Leayme', 'Leahme', and 'Leame'. This suggests that the name was relatively widespread across different parts of England during this period.
During the Tudor era, a notable bearer of the name was John Leaym, a wealthy merchant who lived in London in the early 16th century. He is recorded as having traded extensively with the Netherlands and is mentioned in several contemporary documents related to trade and commerce.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Sir Robert Leaym, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1634. He was a respected figure in the city and played a significant role in the affairs of the City of London during his tenure as mayor.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with the Leaym family of Leicestershire. This family owned substantial landholdings in the county and produced several notable figures, including Sir Thomas Leaym (1732-1801), a Member of Parliament and Justice of the Peace.
Throughout history, the surname LEAYM has also been linked to various place names and locations in England, such as Leam in Derbyshire, Leamington in Warwickshire, and Leamington Spa, a town that developed around natural springs in the same county.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leaym
Among Census respondents with the surname Leaym, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leaym 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 Leaym surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leaym
Leaym 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+13 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,104 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 3,104 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,799 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 Leaym 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 | #134,712 | #143,511 | -6.5% |
| Count | 125 | 118 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leaym bearers went from 125 to 118 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Leaym surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leaym?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Leaym. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Leaym?
Leaym ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Leaym. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leaym.
Has Leaym become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leaym went from 125 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Leaym?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leaym, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leaym in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leaym appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Leaym (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 Leaym mean?
A toponymic surname indicating an area of origin, probably for a place with muddy or marshy ground. 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 Leaym (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Leaym?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.