2000
#308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 89,198
First available Census row
Per 100,000 33.07
Uncommon Last name
Leonard
An English surname derived from the Germanic elements "leo" (lion) and "hard" (brave or hardy).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 99,462 Americans carry the last name Leonard. That puts it at #352 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 29.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,446 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leonard 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 Leonard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
99K
1 in 3,446
Census rank
#352
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
87K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 86,736 bearers of the surname Leonard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 29.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 352nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leonard, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leonard
The surname Leonard originated in England in the 12th century. It derived from the Germanic personal name Leonhard, which meant "brave lion" or "brave as a lion." The name was brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest records of the name Leonard appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it is listed as Leonardus. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mentions a Leonardus de Wycumbe from Buckinghamshire.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to various regions of England, with different spellings emerging. In Yorkshire, it appeared as Lyonard, while in Oxfordshire, it was written as Lunard. The name was also found in places like Derbyshire and Warwickshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Leonard was Sir Thomas Leonard (c. 1490-1544), a prominent English courtier and landowner during the reign of King Henry VIII. He served as a Member of Parliament and held several important positions, including Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.
Other notable individuals with the Leonard surname include:
1. Henry Charles Leonard (1857-1933), an English composer and conductor known for his operas and orchestral works.
2. Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), an American novelist and screenwriter, renowned for his crime fiction and works adapted into films like "Get Shorty" and "Justified."
3. John Leonard (1639-1693), a British author and puritan minister, known for his book "The Boke of Vagabundes" which documented the lives of beggars and vagrants in 17th-century England.
4. Jacques Leonard (1701-1776), a French painter and engraver, noted for his portraits and historical paintings.
5. Mary Leonarda Terry (1856-1944), an American educator and missionary, who founded the College of West Africa in Monrovia, Liberia.
As the name Leonard spread across different regions, it also gave rise to various place names, such as Leonard Stanley in Gloucestershire and Leonardsley in Shropshire. These place names further contributed to the surname's evolution and regional variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leonard
Among Census respondents with the surname Leonard, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Leonard 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 Leonard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 67,200
- Black or African American14.1% · 12,189
- Two or more races3.7% · 3,224
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,838
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 646
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 639
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leonard
Leonard 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
#338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 91,475
+2,277 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 31.01
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,736
-4,739 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 29.02
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #308 | 89,198 | 33.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #338 | 91,475 | 31.01 | +2,277 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #352 | 86,736 | 29.02 | -4,739 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 14 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 Leonard 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 | #338 | #352 | -4.1% |
| Count | 91,475 | 86,736 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 31.01 | 29.02 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leonard bearers went from 91,475 to 86,736 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #338 to #352.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leonard
FAQ
Leonard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leonard?
Name Census estimates that about 99,462 living Americans carry the surname Leonard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,446 residents.
How common is Leonard?
Leonard ranks #352 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 29.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 86,736 people with the surname Leonard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (99,462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 29.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 29.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Leonard.
Has Leonard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leonard went from 91,475 recorded bearers to 86,736. That is a decrease of 4,739 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #338 to #352.
What does the Census say about the background of Leonard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leonard, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Leonard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (67,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leonard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (14.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Leonard (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 Leonard mean?
An English surname derived from the Germanic elements "leo" (lion) and "hard" (brave or hardy). 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 Leonard (29.02 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 common is the surname Leonard?
Find out how common the surname Leonard is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.