2000
#11,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Leddy
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Leadaigh," meaning "descendant of Leadach," a personal name meaning "reverent."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,929 Americans carry the last name Leddy. That puts it at #11,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,021 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leddy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Leddy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,021
Census rank
#11,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,554 bearers of the surname Leddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leddy
The surname Leddy is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "laiddir" which means "strong" or "stout." It is believed to have originated in County Tipperary, Ireland, during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the Leddy name can be traced back to the 16th century in County Tipperary. The name was often spelled as "Leady" or "Leadie" in its early forms, reflecting the phonetic spelling of the time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Leddy surname was John Leddy, who was born in County Tipperary in the late 16th century. He was a landowner and farmer who lived in the town of Carrick-on-Suir.
In the 17th century, the Leddy name appears in various historical records, including the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, which documented households in Ireland for tax purposes. During this time, the name was also found in the parish records of Clonmel, County Tipperary.
A notable figure with the Leddy surname was Patrick Leddy (1720-1795), an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Bishop of Dromore from 1779 until his death. He was known for his efforts to promote education and improve the living conditions of the Catholic community in Ireland.
Another prominent individual was Michael Leddy (1785-1853), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Carlow in the early 19th century. He was a vocal advocate for Catholic Emancipation and played a significant role in the political movements of his time.
In the 19th century, the Leddy family spread to other parts of Ireland and beyond. James Leddy (1830-1901) was a successful businessman and philanthropist who emigrated from Ireland to the United States in the mid-1800s. He established a successful textile manufacturing company in New York City and became known for his charitable contributions to various causes.
Throughout history, the Leddy surname has been associated with various professions, including farming, clergy, law, politics, and business. While the name originated in County Tipperary, it has since spread throughout Ireland and to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Leddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leddy 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 Leddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,295
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 119
- Two or more races3.6% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leddy
Leddy 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
#11,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,793
+195 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#11,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,554
-239 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,194 | 2,598 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,308 | 2,793 | 0.95 | +195 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #11,736 | 2,554 | 0.85 | -239 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 428 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 Leddy 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 | #11,308 | #11,736 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,793 | 2,554 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.85 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leddy bearers went from 2,793 to 2,554 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 428 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,308 to #11,736.
FAQ
Leddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leddy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,929 living Americans carry the surname Leddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,021 residents.
How common is Leddy?
Leddy ranks #11,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,554 people with the surname Leddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Leddy.
Has Leddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leddy went from 2,793 recorded bearers to 2,554. That is a decrease of 239 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,308 to #11,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Leddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) 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 Leddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.7%), 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 Leddy (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 Leddy mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Leadaigh," meaning "descendant of Leadach," a personal name meaning "reverent." 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 Leddy (0.85 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 Leddy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.