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

Leggett, 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 Leggett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leggett in America

Leggett is the 2777th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leggett surname appeared 12,977 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Leggett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leggett 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 Leggett

The surname Leggett is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lecg," meaning a small meadow or field. It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked on such a meadow or field.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Leggett can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Leget." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been initially a Norman-French adaptation of the Old English word.

During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire, where several villages and hamlets bore names derived from the same root word, such as Legbourne, Leggatt, and Leggatt's Green.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Leggett was Sir John Leggett (c. 1330-1395), a prominent landowner and knight who served under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure was Thomas Leggett (c. 1535-1607), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London during the reign of Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the Leggett family established themselves in the American colonies, with William Leggett (1609-1683) being among the earliest settlers in Massachusetts. He later relocated to Long Island, New York, where his descendants became prominent landowners and community leaders.

During the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Abraham Leggett (1737-1828) served as a commissary officer in the Continental Army and later became a successful merchant and philanthropist in New York City.

In the 19th century, William Leggett (1801-1839) was a prominent journalist and political reformer, known for his advocacy of free trade and his opposition to slavery. He founded and edited several influential newspapers, including the Evening Gazette and the Plaindealer.

Another notable figure from this period was Mortimer Dormer Leggett (1835-1901), an English barrister and author who wrote extensively on legal and historical topics, including a comprehensive work on the history of the English navy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leggett

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

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

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

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