2000
#8,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Leftwich
A locational surname referring to a place on the left side of a salt works or dairy farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,100 Americans carry the last name Leftwich. That puts it at #8,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leftwich 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 Leftwich with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,599
Census rank
#8,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,575 bearers of the surname Leftwich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leftwich, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leftwich
The surname Leftwich has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from a place name, specifically the village of Leftwich in Cheshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "leofecu" and "wic," meaning "dear" or "beloved" and "dwelling" or "farm," respectively.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Leftwich can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Leueftwic." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded the land holdings and settlements across England at that time.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "Leftwych" and "Leftwiche." One notable mention is in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire from 1286, where a Richard de Leftwych is listed as a landowner.
In the 14th century, the name began to spread beyond Cheshire as people migrated to other parts of England. Records from this period show variations like "Leftwich" and "Leftwiche."
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Leftwich was William Leftwich, born around 1520 in Cheshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Cheshire in 1553.
Another notable figure was Sir John Leftwich (1563-1629), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Cheshire and held the position of Sheriff of Cheshire in 1609.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and legal documents. One example is Richard Leftwich (1610-1686), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Lichfield and Coventry.
During the 18th century, the Leftwich family continued to be influential in Cheshire. A notable figure was Thomas Leftwich (1711-1789), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Cheshire from 1754 to 1768.
In the 19th century, the name Leftwich spread further as members of the family migrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One prominent individual was Benjamin Leftwich (1810-1892), an English-born American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Leftwich Shipbuilding Company in Virginia.
Throughout its history, the surname Leftwich has maintained a strong connection to its origins in the village of Leftwich, Cheshire, and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, politicians, clergymen, and industrialists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leftwich
Among Census respondents with the surname Leftwich, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Leftwich 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 Leftwich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 2,267
- Black or African American26.7% · 956
- Two or more races5.0% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leftwich
Leftwich 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
#8,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,712
-16 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#8,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,575
-137 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,185 | 3,728 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,822 | 3,712 | 1.26 | -16 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #8,807 | 3,575 | 1.20 | -137 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 15 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 Leftwich 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 | #8,822 | #8,807 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,712 | 3,575 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.20 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leftwich bearers went from 3,712 to 3,575 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,822 to #8,807.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leftwich
FAQ
Leftwich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leftwich?
Name Census estimates that about 4,100 living Americans carry the surname Leftwich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,599 residents.
How common is Leftwich?
Leftwich ranks #8,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,575 people with the surname Leftwich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Leftwich.
Has Leftwich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leftwich went from 3,712 recorded bearers to 3,575. That is a decrease of 137 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,822 to #8,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Leftwich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leftwich, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Leftwich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (2,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leftwich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (26.7%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Leftwich (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 Leftwich mean?
A locational surname referring to a place on the left side of a salt works or dairy farm. 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 Leftwich (1.20 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 Leftwich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.