2000
#4,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,638
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.83
Rare Last name
Leo
A surname of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word for "lion," referring to a brave or fierce person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,279 Americans carry the last name Leo. That puts it at #4,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leo 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 Leo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,939
Census rank
#4,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,092 bearers of the surname Leo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leo, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leo
The surname Leo is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "leo," meaning "lion." The name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who possessed lion-like qualities, such as strength, courage, or a fierce appearance.
In Italy, the name Leo was particularly common in regions like Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval documents and records from these areas, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Leo surname was Ser Pietro Leo, a notary from Perugia, who was mentioned in a document dated 1270. Another notable figure was Jacopo Leo, a Florentine merchant and banker who lived in the 14th century.
The Leo surname also appears in historical records outside of Italy. In England, for instance, the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript documenting landowners in 1086. This suggests that there may have been Italian or Norman settlers bearing the name who arrived in England following the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Over the centuries, the Leo surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the renowned Italian polymath and artist whose full name was Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci. Another prominent figure was Leonetto Leo (1675-1744), an Italian composer and violinist from Naples.
Other individuals of historical significance with the Leo surname include:
1. Enrico Leo (1835-1878), an Italian mathematician and engineer.
2. Ulrich Leo (1472-1518), a German humanist scholar and educator.
3. Gaspare Leo (1550-1618), an Italian historian and author from Caserta.
4. Giulio Leo (1524-1591), an Italian Catholic bishop and diplomat.
5. Leopoldo Leo (1865-1935), an Italian composer and pianist from Naples.
The Leo surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as Leonessa, a town in the province of Rieti, and Leognano, a village in the province of Parma.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leo
Among Census respondents with the surname Leo, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Leo 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 Leo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.3% · 5,686
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 863
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.9% · 802
- Black or African American5.0% · 406
- Two or more races3.4% · 279
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leo
Leo 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
#4,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,039
+401 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#4,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,092
+53 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Up 190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,296 | 7,638 | 2.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,423 | 8,039 | 2.73 | +401 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #4,233 | 8,092 | 2.71 | +53 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 190 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 Leo 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 | #4,423 | #4,233 | 4.3% |
| Count | 8,039 | 8,092 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.73 | 2.71 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leo bearers went from 8,039 to 8,092 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 190 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,423 to #4,233.
FAQ
Leo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leo?
Name Census estimates that about 9,279 living Americans carry the surname Leo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,939 residents.
How common is Leo?
Leo ranks #4,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,092 people with the surname Leo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Leo.
Has Leo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leo went from 8,039 recorded bearers to 8,092. That is an increase of 53 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,423 to #4,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Leo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leo, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%). 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 Leo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (5,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.3%), Hispanic (10.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%). 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 Leo (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 Leo mean?
A surname of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word for "lion," referring to a brave or fierce person. 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 Leo (2.71 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 Americans have the surname Leo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.