2000
#31,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 681
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Rare Last name
Leconte
French surname transferred from the title of count or earl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,087 Americans carry the last name Leconte. That puts it at #27,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 315,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leconte 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
1.1K
1 in 315,321
Census rank
#27,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
948
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 948 bearers of the surname Leconte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leconte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.2%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leconte
The surname LECONTE originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "le" meaning "the" and "conte" meaning "count" or "earl." The name likely referred to someone who worked in the household or lands of a count or held a position under a count's authority.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval French records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Le Conte" or "Le Cunte." Some variations included "Le Cont" and "Le Cunt."
In the 14th century, the surname LECONTE appeared in the Hundred Rolls, a census-like survey of landowners in England commissioned by King Edward I. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest or shortly thereafter.
One notable bearer of the name was Jean LECONTE, a French writer and poet who lived from 1820 to 1887. He was a prominent figure in the Parnassian movement and is considered one of the greatest French poets of the 19th century.
Another individual with this surname was Joseph LECONTE, an American scientist and writer who lived from 1823 to 1901. He was a pioneering entomologist and served as the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1892.
In the 18th century, a French painter named Michel LECONTE (1707-1786) gained recognition for his religious and mythological works. He studied under the renowned artist François Boucher and was elected to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1763.
The name LECONTE can also be found in various place names across France, such as the town of Leconte in the department of Pas-de-Calais and the Château de Leconte in the department of Aisne.
Another notable figure was René LECONTE (1851-1923), a French composer and organist. He was a renowned educator and served as the director of the Conservatoire de Musique de Lille from 1888 to 1920.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leconte
Among Census respondents with the surname Leconte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.2%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Leconte 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 Leconte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.3% · 562
- White33.2% · 315
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 39
- Two or more races2.8% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leconte
Leconte 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
#28,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 833
+152 bearers (+22.3%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 3,368 places
2020
#27,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 948
+115 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 1,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,986 | 681 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,618 | 833 | 0.28 | +152 bearers (+22.3%) | Up 3,368 places |
| 2020 | #27,006 | 948 | 0.32 | +115 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 1,612 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 Leconte 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 | #28,618 | #27,006 | 5.6% |
| Count | 833 | 948 | 13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.32 | 13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leconte bearers went from 833 to 948 (+13.8% change). The surname moved up 1,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,618 to #27,006.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leconte
FAQ
Leconte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leconte?
Name Census estimates that about 1,087 living Americans carry the surname Leconte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 315,321 residents.
How common is Leconte?
Leconte ranks #27,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 948 people with the surname Leconte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Leconte.
Has Leconte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leconte went from 833 recorded bearers to 948. That is an increase of 115 (+13.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #28,618 to #27,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Leconte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leconte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.2%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leconte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leconte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (59.3%), White (33.2%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Leconte (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 Leconte mean?
French surname transferred from the title of count or earl. 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 Leconte (0.32 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 Leconte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.