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

Leite, 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 Leite surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leite in America

Leite is the 10316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leite surname appeared 3,123 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Leite.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leite 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 Leite

The surname Leite originated in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Portuguese word "leite," meaning milk. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with dairy products or lived near a dairy farm.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts in Portugal, with spellings like "Leyte" and "Leyte." The earliest known bearer of the name was João Leite, who was mentioned in a land grant document from the year 1275.

During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese settlers and explorers bearing the surname Leite traveled to various parts of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. One notable figure was Duarte Leite, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.

In the 17th century, the name Leite was associated with several prominent individuals in Portugal. For example, Manuel Leite de Vasconcelos (1608-1696) was a Portuguese nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor of Pernambuco in Brazil.

Another notable bearer of the name was Father António Leite (1691-1758), a Jesuit missionary and linguist who worked in Brazil and wrote extensively on the indigenous languages of the region.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Leite surname was found in various parts of the Portuguese Empire, including Brazil, Mozambique, and Goa. One well-known figure was José Leite de Vasconcelos (1858-1941), a Portuguese philologist and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Portuguese literature and culture.

In the 20th century, the name Leite continued to be prevalent in Portugal and its former colonies. One notable individual was Álvaro Cunhal (1913-2005), a Portuguese communist leader whose birth name was Álvaro Rodrigues Leite. He played a crucial role in the Portuguese resistance against the Estado Novo regime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leite

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

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

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

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