2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leggans
A locational surname referring to someone from Leggan, Ireland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Leggans. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leggans 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.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Leggans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leggans, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leggans
The surname Leggans is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the Lowlands region of Scotland during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Scots language term "leggins," which referred to a type of leggings or protective garment worn by soldiers and warriors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobility who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Here, the name appears as "Legyn," likely an earlier spelling variation.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Leggans family was centered around the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. The name is closely associated with the village of Leggeduroch, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Leggans surname was John Leggans, a Scottish scholar and historian born in 1518. He authored several works on Scottish history and was a respected academic in his time.
The Leggans family played a role in the Scottish Wars of Independence, with records indicating that a William Leggans fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Leggans family migrated to Ulster, Ireland, during the Plantation of Ulster. This led to the establishment of the name in parts of Northern Ireland, particularly in County Antrim.
Another notable bearer of the Leggans surname was James Leggans, born in 1675 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, leaving a substantial legacy that included the construction of Leggans Manor, a grand estate in the Scottish Lowlands.
In the 18th century, the Leggans family continued to maintain a presence in Scotland and Ireland, with some members also settling in England and Wales.
Over the centuries, the Leggans surname has been subject to various spellings, including Leggan, Leggins, Leggons, and Leggens, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leggans
Among Census respondents with the surname Leggans, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leggans 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 Leggans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Black or African American6.6% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leggans
Leggans 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+21 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,694 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-26 bearers (-19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 9,694 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-19.7%) | Down 23,292 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 Leggans 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 | #129,047 | #152,339 | -18.0% |
| Count | 132 | 106 | -19.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leggans bearers went from 132 to 106 (-19.7% change). The surname moved down 23,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #152,339.
FAQ
Leggans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leggans?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Leggans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Leggans?
Leggans ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Leggans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leggans.
Has Leggans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leggans went from 132 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 26 (-19.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Leggans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leggans, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%). 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 Leggans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leggans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Black (6.6%). 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 Leggans (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 Leggans mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Leggan, Ireland. 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 Leggans (0.04 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 common is the surname Leggans?
Find out how many people have the last name Leggans on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.