2000
#13,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Leopard
A surname derived from a nickname for a fierce or cunning person, or one with spotted clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,316 Americans carry the last name Leopard. That puts it at #14,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,994 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leopard 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 Leopard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,994
Census rank
#14,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,020 bearers of the surname Leopard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leopard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 These alternative spellings can be found in various historical documents, including parish records and court rolls from counties like Norfolk, Surrey, and Wiltshire.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leopard
Among Census respondents with the surname Leopard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leopard 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 Leopard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,863
- Two or more races4.2% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 32
- Black or African American0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leopard
Leopard 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
#14,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
-35 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,136 places
2020
#14,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,020
-54 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,273 | 2,109 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,409 | 2,074 | 0.70 | -35 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,136 places |
| 2020 | #14,265 | 2,020 | 0.68 | -54 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 144 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 Leopard 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 | #14,409 | #14,265 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,074 | 2,020 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.68 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leopard bearers went from 2,074 to 2,020 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,409 to #14,265.
FAQ
Leopard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leopard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,316 living Americans carry the surname Leopard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,994 residents.
How common is Leopard?
Leopard ranks #14,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,020 people with the surname Leopard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Leopard.
Has Leopard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leopard went from 2,074 recorded bearers to 2,020. That is a decrease of 54 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,409 to #14,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Leopard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leopard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (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 Leopard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,863 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leopard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (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 Leopard (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 Leopard mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a fierce or cunning person, or one with spotted clothing. 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 Leopard (0.68 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 Leopard?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Leopard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.