2000
#60,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 310
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Leithead
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a place with a slope of ground or a hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 349 Americans carry the last name Leithead. That puts it at #69,562 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 982,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leithead 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 Leithead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
349
1 in 982,104
Census rank
#69,562
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
304
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 304 bearers of the surname Leithead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69562nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leithead, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leithead
The surname Leithead originated in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "leth" meaning "half" and "ceann" meaning "head" or "hill". This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived on a hillside or near a prominent hill.
The earliest known recording of the Leithead name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homages made to King Edward I of England. This document mentions a John de Lethede from Berwickshire, Scotland.
In the 14th century, various spellings of the name appeared in records such as Lethedde, Lethede, and Leithheid. These variations reflect the evolution of the name over time and the differences in dialect across Scotland.
The Leithead name is also associated with several place names in Scotland, including Leithead Farm in Aberdeenshire and Leithead Hill in Dumfries and Galloway. These locations may have been named after early bearers of the surname or vice versa.
Notable individuals with the Leithead surname include:
1. William Leithead (1605-1677), a Scottish clergyman and author who wrote "The Covenant of Grace Opened" in 1644.
2. John Leithead (1730-1795), a Scottish merchant and landowner who owned estates in Lanarkshire.
3. Robert Leithead (1810-1888), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who led expeditions in South Australia and Western Australia.
4. Archibald Leithead (1859-1923), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
5. William Leithead (1879-1950), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The Leithead surname has a rich history deeply rooted in Scotland, with bearers of the name leaving their mark in various fields across multiple centuries and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leithead
Among Census respondents with the surname Leithead, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leithead 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 Leithead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 277
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 5
- Two or more races1.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leithead
Leithead 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
#60,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
+21 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#69,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 304
-27 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 8,772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,706 | 310 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,790 | 331 | 0.11 | +21 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #69,562 | 304 | 0.10 | -27 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 8,772 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 Leithead 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 | #60,790 | #69,562 | -14.4% |
| Count | 331 | 304 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leithead bearers went from 331 to 304 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 8,772 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,790 to #69,562.
FAQ
Leithead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leithead?
Name Census estimates that about 349 living Americans carry the surname Leithead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 982,104 residents.
How common is Leithead?
Leithead ranks #69,562 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 304 people with the surname Leithead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (349), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Leithead.
Has Leithead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leithead went from 331 recorded bearers to 304. That is a decrease of 27 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,790 to #69,562.
What does the Census say about the background of Leithead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leithead, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Leithead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leithead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Leithead (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 Leithead mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a place with a slope of ground or a hillside. 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 Leithead (0.10 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 share the surname Leithead?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.