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

Leppala, 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 Leppala surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leppala in America

Leppala is the 97210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leppala surname appeared 187 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Leppala.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leppala 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 Leppala

The surname Leppala is of Finnish origin and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Leppälä in the municipality of Lohja, located in the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland. The name itself is derived from the Finnish word "leppä," meaning "alder tree," and the suffix "-lä," which is used to indicate the location or place of origin.

One of the earliest documented references to the Leppala surname can be found in the records of the town of Lohja from the year 1542, where it is mentioned in connection with a local landowner named Erik Leppala. This suggests that the surname was already well-established in the region at that time.

In the 17th century, the Leppala name appears in several historical records, including the census rolls of the Swedish province of Finland, which was part of the Swedish realm until 1809. One notable individual from this period was Mikael Leppala (1642-1708), a Lutheran clergyman who served as the vicar of Lohja parish for over three decades.

Another prominent figure in the history of the Leppala surname was Jaakko Leppala (1721-1796), a farmer and landowner from the village of Leppälä. He was known for his extensive agricultural holdings and his involvement in local politics, serving as a representative in the Diet of Finland, which was a legislative assembly during the Swedish era.

In the 19th century, the Leppala surname continued to be associated with the Lohja region, with several families bearing the name living in the area. One notable individual from this time was Juho Leppala (1838-1912), a renowned sculptor and woodcarver who specialized in creating intricate works of art from wood.

Another notable figure was Kaarlo Leppala (1876-1954), a Finnish politician and journalist who served as a member of the Finnish Parliament and was actively involved in the labor movement and the struggle for Finnish independence.

As the surname Leppala spread across Finland, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. For example, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Finnish immigrants bearing the Leppala surname settled in North America, particularly in the Upper Midwest region of the United States and in parts of Canada.

While the Leppala surname is most prevalent in Finland, it has also been recorded in other Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Norway, likely due to migration and intermarriage between Finnish and Scandinavian families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leppala

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

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

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

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