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

Ledo, 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 Ledo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ledo in America

Ledo is the 32750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ledo surname appeared 701 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 Ledo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ledo 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 Ledo

The surname LEDO is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the Galicia region, sometime around the 12th century. It is derived from the Galician word "ledo," which means "happy" or "joyful." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a cheerful or joyful disposition.

In the early records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Ledo, Ledos, and Ledó, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the medieval Galician-Portuguese poetry anthology known as the "Cancioneiro da Ajuda," which dates back to the 13th century.

The earliest recorded bearer of the LEDO surname is Pedro Ledo, who lived in the city of Santiago de Compostela in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several municipal records from that time period, indicating that the name was already established in the region.

As the surname spread throughout Spain and beyond, it became associated with certain place names, such as Ledo de Abajo and Ledo de Arriba, which are small villages in the province of Ourense, Galicia. These place names likely originated from families bearing the LEDO surname who settled in those areas.

One notable figure in history with the LEDO surname is Juan Ledo, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Spain.

Another significant bearer of the LEDO name was Gaspar Ledo, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world in the early 16th century. Ledo played a crucial role in the expedition, particularly after Magellan's death, and his accounts of the journey are valuable historical sources.

In the 18th century, José Ledo y Maltés (1728-1804) was a prominent Spanish military officer and engineer who served in the Spanish Army Corps of Engineers. He was involved in the construction and fortification of several important military installations in the Americas during the Spanish colonial era.

Moving into the 19th century, Andrés Ledo de Vázquez (1802-1878) was a notable Cuban poet, journalist, and political activist who played a significant role in the Cuban independence movement. His writings and activism against Spanish colonial rule in Cuba earned him a place in the island's literary and political history.

Another noteworthy figure with the LEDO surname is María Ledo (1886-1976), a Spanish educator and feminist who dedicated her life to promoting women's education and advocating for gender equality. She founded several schools and educational institutions in Spain and was a pioneering figure in the country's feminist movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ledo

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!