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

Leftenant, 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 Leftenant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leftenant in America

Leftenant is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leftenant surname appeared 121 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 Leftenant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leftenant 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 Leftenant

The surname "LEFTENANT" originated in England during the late 16th century. It was derived from the French word "lieutenant," which referred to an officer who acted as a deputy to a superior officer in the military. The name likely came into use as a descriptive term for individuals who held this rank or position.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a Thomas Leftenant was mentioned in 1598. It is believed that this individual may have served in the English military during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name became more prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include John Leftenant (1625-1689), a merchant and landowner from Colchester, Essex, and William Leftenant (1712-1786), a renowned clockmaker from Norwich, Norfolk.

In the 19th century, the surname appeared in several historical documents, such as the Militia Lists of 1804, which recorded a James Leftenant serving in the Suffolk Militia. Additionally, the 1841 Census of England and Wales listed several Leftenant families residing in the counties of Norfolk and Essex.

One of the most prominent figures with this surname was Sir Arthur Leftenant (1820-1892), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became the Governor of the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He was knighted for his distinguished service in 1865.

Another notable individual was Charles Leftenant (1854-1922), a renowned architect from Suffolk who designed several churches and public buildings in the region, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Ipswich.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some members of the Leftenant family immigrated to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carrying their surname with them to new lands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leftenant

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

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

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

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