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

Leeds, 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 Leeds surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leeds in America

Leeds is the 8659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leeds surname appeared 3,795 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Leeds.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leeds 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 Leeds

The surname Leeds is an English toponymic name derived from the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It originated in the early medieval period, with the name Leeds itself stemming from the Old English "Loidis" or "Loides", meaning a place where wild garlic or leeks grew in abundance.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Leeds is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ledes". This survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented landholders and properties across much of England and parts of Wales.

During the 13th century, the spelling of the name evolved to "Ledes", as evidenced by its appearance in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire from 1246. By the 14th century, the modern spelling "Leeds" had become more prevalent, as seen in the Yorkshire Poll Tax returns of 1379.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Leeds include Sir Thomas Leeds (1558-1638), an English Renaissance composer and musician who served as a court musician to Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. Another early bearer of the name was Ralph Leeds (1590-1667), a prominent Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1630s and served as the pastor of the church in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

During the 18th century, Daniel Leeds (1718-1785) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served as a justice of the peace and alderman in the city. His son, Samuel Leeds (1746-1819), was a lawyer and judge who represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress from 1784 to 1789.

In the 19th century, Benjamin Leeds (1808-1868) was a prominent industrialist and banker from Philadelphia, credited with establishing the Leeds & Lippincott Company, one of the largest iron and steel manufacturers in the United States at the time.

Over the centuries, the surname Leeds has also been associated with various place names and locations, including Leeds Castle in Kent, England, and the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, where the name originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leeds

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

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

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

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