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

Leopard, 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 Leopard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leopard in America

Leopard is the 14409th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leopard surname appeared 2,074 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Leopard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leopard 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 Leopard

The surname Leopard originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'leó-pard', meaning 'lion-panther'. This name likely referred to someone with a fierce or brave nature, similar to the qualities of these wild animals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Leopard surname appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert Lepard residing in Oxfordshire. The name crops up again in the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 for Yorkshire, mentioning a John Leopard.

During the 15th century, variations in spelling emerged, such as Leppard and Leoppard. These alternative spellings can be found in various historical documents, including parish records and court rolls from counties like Norfolk, Surrey, and Wiltshire.

The Leopard name is also associated with several places in England. For instance, there is a village called Leopard's Hill in Berkshire, which may have taken its name from an early landholder with the surname. Additionally, the Leicestershire town of Lubbenham was once known as 'Lepordesham' in the Domesday Book of 1086, potentially relating to the Leopard name.

Notable individuals bearing the Leopard surname include:

1. Sir John Leopard (c.1480-1545), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London during the reign of Henry VIII.

2. Thomas Leopard (1571-1639), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1616 until his death.

3. Mary Leopard (c.1590-1670), a puritan writer and religious controversialist known for her works defending Calvinist theology.

4. William Leopard (1695-1784), an English architect who designed several country houses and churches in the Palladian style.

5. Captain James Leopard (1760-1822), a Royal Navy officer who served with distinction during the Napoleonic Wars and was commended for his bravery at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leopard

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

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

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

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