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

Leo, 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 Leo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leo in America

Leo is the 4423rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leo surname appeared 8,039 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Leo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leo 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leo

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

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

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

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