2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Leskin
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the name Leslie.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Leskin. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leskin 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Leskin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leskin
The surname Leskin has its roots in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century as a patronymic surname, derived from the Russian personal name "Leska" or "Leskin." This name is thought to be a diminutive of the name "Elisha" or "Elijah," which has Hebrew origins.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Leskin surname can be found in historical documents from the city of Voronezh, Russia, dating back to the late 17th century. It is likely that the name was initially concentrated in this region before spreading to other parts of the Russian Empire and beyond.
In the 19th century, the Leskin surname appeared in various Russian census records and military service records. One notable individual from this period was Ivan Leskin (1805-1877), a prominent Russian landowner and philanthropist who donated significant funds for the construction of schools and churches in his native region.
As the Russian Empire expanded, the Leskin surname also spread to other areas, including what is now modern-day Ukraine. In the early 20th century, a Ukrainian writer and poet named Mykola Leskin (1890-1942) gained recognition for his works celebrating Ukrainian culture and traditions.
Another notable figure with the Leskin surname was Sergey Leskin (1920-1998), a Soviet military officer who served in World War II and later became a prominent historian and author, publishing several books on the history of the Russian armed forces.
Beyond Russia and Ukraine, the Leskin surname can also be found in other parts of Eastern Europe, particularly among Jewish communities. One such example is Yakov Leskin (1876-1942), a prominent Yiddish writer and journalist who was born in Belarus and later emigrated to the United States, where he continued his literary work.
While the Leskin surname is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from literature and the arts to military service and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leskin
Among Census respondents with the surname Leskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leskin 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 Leskin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 9
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leskin
Leskin 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,547 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,627 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 15,547 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 10,627 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 Leskin 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 | #137,327 | #147,954 | -7.7% |
| Count | 122 | 112 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leskin bearers went from 122 to 112 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 10,627 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #147,954.
FAQ
Leskin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leskin?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Leskin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Leskin?
Leskin ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Leskin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leskin.
Has Leskin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leskin went from 122 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Leskin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Leskin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leskin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Leskin (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 Leskin mean?
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the name Leslie. 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 Leskin (0.04 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 many people share the surname Leskin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.