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

Lecce, 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 Lecce surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lecce in America

Lecce is the 66931st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lecce surname appeared 295 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lecce.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lecce 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 Lecce

The surname Lecce originates from the town of Lecce in the Apulia region of southern Italy. The town's name is derived from the Latin word "lupiae," meaning "stone quarries," referring to the area's abundant stone resources.

The Lecce surname can be traced back to the 11th century, with records showing families bearing this name living in the town and surrounding areas. The earliest known mention of the name is found in a 1096 document from the Monastery of San Giovanni Evangelista in Lecce.

In the 13th century, the name Lecce appeared in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the Bari region. This reference suggests that the surname had spread beyond the town of Lecce by that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lecce was Nicolò Lecce, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived in Lecce in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Antonio Lecce, a 15th-century sculptor and architect known for his work on the Lecce Cathedral.

The Lecce surname can also be found in various historical records from other Italian regions, such as the Catasto Onciario, a land registry from the Kingdom of Naples, which mentions several Lecce families in the 16th century.

During the Renaissance, the Lecce family produced several artists and intellectuals, including Gabriele Lecce (1508-1584), a renowned painter and architect, and Girolamo Lecce (1550-1621), a philosopher and mathematician.

In the 17th century, the Lecce surname gained prominence with the birth of Gianserio Lecce (1620-1693), a celebrated Baroque sculptor whose works can be found in churches and palaces throughout southern Italy.

As the Lecce family spread throughout Italy and beyond, the spelling of the surname may have undergone slight variations, such as Lezze or Lechce, reflecting regional dialects and orthographic conventions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lecce

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

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

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

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