2000
#9,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,074
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Leek
An English occupational surname referring to a leek grower, seller, or someone living near a leek field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,338 Americans carry the last name Leek. That puts it at #10,516 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leek 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 Leek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,683
Census rank
#10,516
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,911 bearers of the surname Leek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10516th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leek, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leek
The surname "LEEK" originated in England and is a locational name derived from the town of Leek in Staffordshire. Historically, this town was known for its leek production, which is believed to be the source of the name. Leek was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Lec" and "Lece," reflecting the Old English words for the vegetable leek and the stream or waterway.
In the 13th century, records show the surname spelled as "de Leke" and "atte Leke," indicating that the name initially denoted someone from the town of Leek. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of "LEEK." One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Leke, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1283.
The surname "LEEK" can be traced back to several notable figures throughout history. Sir Francis Leek (1592-1661) was an English Member of Parliament and a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War. Another prominent bearer was Ralph Leek (1630-1687), an English clergyman who served as the chaplain to King Charles II.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "LEEK" was in 1638 when John Leek arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Plaine Joan." Another early American bearer was Tobias Leek, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1705 and later served as a Captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname "LEEK" include Henry Leek (1637-1702), an English mathematician and author; Richard Leek (1705-1759), an English architect known for his work on numerous churches and country houses; and Sir Henry William Studholme Brownrigg Leek (1813-1900), a British politician and Member of Parliament.
Throughout its history, the surname "LEEK" has maintained a strong connection to its locational origins in Staffordshire, England. While not a particularly widespread name, it has been borne by individuals of note in various fields over the centuries, reflecting its enduring legacy as a distinctly English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leek
Among Census respondents with the surname Leek, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leek 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 Leek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 2,422
- Black or African American9.9% · 289
- Two or more races3.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leek
Leek 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
#9,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
+154 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 294 places
2020
#10,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,911
-317 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,697 | 3,074 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,991 | 3,228 | 1.09 | +154 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 294 places |
| 2020 | #10,516 | 2,911 | 0.97 | -317 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 525 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 Leek 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 | #9,991 | #10,516 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,228 | 2,911 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.97 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leek bearers went from 3,228 to 2,911 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 525 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,991 to #10,516.
FAQ
Leek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leek?
Name Census estimates that about 3,338 living Americans carry the surname Leek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,683 residents.
How common is Leek?
Leek ranks #10,516 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,911 people with the surname Leek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Leek.
Has Leek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leek went from 3,228 recorded bearers to 2,911. That is a decrease of 317 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,991 to #10,516.
What does the Census say about the background of Leek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leek, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) 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 Leek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (2,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (9.9%), 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 Leek (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 Leek mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a leek grower, seller, or someone living near a leek field. 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 Leek (0.97 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 people have the last name Leek?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Leek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.