2000
#12,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Leith
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the port town of Leith near Edinburgh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,540 Americans carry the last name Leith. That puts it at #13,208 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leith 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 Leith with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,943
Census rank
#13,208
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,215 bearers of the surname Leith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13208th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leith, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leith
The surname Leith has its origins in Scotland, particularly in the region around Edinburgh. It is believed to have derived from the town of Leith, which was an important maritime center and port during the Middle Ages. The name Leith likely comes from the old Brittonic word 'leto', meaning 'warm meadow' or 'warm place'.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Leith dates back to the 13th century. It appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish nobles who were forced to swear allegiance to Edward I of England. In this document, a man named Alexander de Lethe is listed as a landowner from the area around Edinburgh.
The name Leith can also be found in various other historical records from Scotland, such as the Exchequer Rolls and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. In the 15th century, a Robert Leith is mentioned as a burgess of Edinburgh, indicating that the family had gained prominence in the city.
One notable bearer of the name Leith was Sir James Leith (1554-1613), a Scottish merchant and financier who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1609 to 1611. He played a significant role in the development of the city and was involved in various trade and commercial ventures.
Another prominent individual with the surname Leith was Sir Alexander Leith (1758-1835), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was celebrated for his bravery and leadership, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815.
In the literary world, the name Leith is associated with Muriel Spark (1918-2006), the renowned Scottish novelist and poet. Her full name was Muriel Sarah Camberg Leith Spark, and she was born in Edinburgh to a family with the Leith surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Leith include John Leith (1928-2021), a British mathematician and computer scientist known for his contributions to the field of numerical analysis, and Robert Leith (1828-1906), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The surname Leith continues to be predominantly found in Scotland, particularly in the regions around Edinburgh and the Lothians. It has also spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by Scottish emigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leith
Among Census respondents with the surname Leith, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leith 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 Leith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 1,875
- Black or African American4.1% · 91
- Two or more races3.6% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leith
Leith 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
#12,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,448
+282 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 334 places
2020
#13,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,215
-233 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 566 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,976 | 2,166 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,642 | 2,448 | 0.83 | +282 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 334 places |
| 2020 | #13,208 | 2,215 | 0.74 | -233 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 566 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 Leith 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 | #12,642 | #13,208 | -4.5% |
| Count | 2,448 | 2,215 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.74 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leith bearers went from 2,448 to 2,215 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 566 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,642 to #13,208.
FAQ
Leith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leith?
Name Census estimates that about 2,540 living Americans carry the surname Leith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,943 residents.
How common is Leith?
Leith ranks #13,208 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,215 people with the surname Leith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Leith.
Has Leith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leith went from 2,448 recorded bearers to 2,215. That is a decrease of 233 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,642 to #13,208.
What does the Census say about the background of Leith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leith, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Leith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (1,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Leith (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 Leith mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the port town of Leith near Edinburgh. 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 Leith (0.74 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 people have the surname Leith?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.