2000
#6,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Leos
A Greek surname derived from the given name Leos, meaning "lion" or "lion-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,498 Americans carry the last name Leos. That puts it at #5,870 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leos 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.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,748
Census rank
#5,870
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,667 bearers of the surname Leos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5870th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leos
The surname Leos has its origins in Spain and derives from the Greek name Leon, meaning lion. The earliest known recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in the region of Castile, where it was likely an occupational surname referring to someone who worked with or handled lions.
In medieval Spain, lions were symbolic figures associated with royalty, strength, and bravery. The name Leos may have been given to individuals who displayed such qualities or worked in roles related to hunting or taming lions for the nobility.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Leos surname was Juan Leos, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. This pivotal victory over the Almohad Caliphate is celebrated in the Cantar de Mio Cid, a renowned medieval Spanish epic poem.
By the 14th century, the Leos surname had spread to other regions of Spain, including Aragon and Catalonia. Historical records from this period mention individuals such as Pedro Leos, a merchant from Barcelona who traded extensively with Italian city-states like Genoa and Venice.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Atlantic, the Leos surname also found its way to the Americas. One notable figure was Hernán Leos, a conquistador born in Seville in 1502, who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to conquer the Inca Empire in present-day Peru.
In the realm of arts and literature, the Leos surname gained prominence with Miguel Leos, a renowned playwright from Madrid born in 1578. His works, including La Vida es Sueño (Life is a Dream), are considered masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
Another prominent individual with the Leos surname was María Leos, a 17th-century nun and mystic from Seville. Her writings and spiritual teachings significantly influenced the Catholic Church in Spain during her lifetime.
While the Leos surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Castile, where it first emerged as an occupational surname reflecting the importance of lions in Spanish history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leos
Among Census respondents with the surname Leos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Leos 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 Leos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.8% · 5,090
- White8.2% · 467
- Two or more races0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leos
Leos 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
#5,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,888
+1,147 bearers (+24.2%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Up 731 places
2020
#5,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,667
-221 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,592 | 4,741 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,861 | 5,888 | 2.00 | +1,147 bearers (+24.2%) | Up 731 places |
| 2020 | #5,870 | 5,667 | 1.90 | -221 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 9 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 Leos 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 | #5,861 | #5,870 | -0.2% |
| Count | 5,888 | 5,667 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.00 | 1.90 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leos bearers went from 5,888 to 5,667 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,861 to #5,870.
FAQ
Leos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leos?
Name Census estimates that about 6,498 living Americans carry the surname Leos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,748 residents.
How common is Leos?
Leos ranks #5,870 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,667 people with the surname Leos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,498), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Leos.
Has Leos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leos went from 5,888 recorded bearers to 5,667. That is a decrease of 221 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,861 to #5,870.
What does the Census say about the background of Leos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (5,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.8%), White (8.2%), Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Leos (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 Leos mean?
A Greek surname derived from the given name Leos, meaning "lion" or "lion-like." 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 Leos (1.90 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 Leos?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Leos, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.