2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Leskiw
An ethnic Ukrainian surname derived from a place name relating to a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Leskiw. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leskiw 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Leskiw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leskiw, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leskiw
The surname Leskiw is of Ukrainian origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century in the region of Galicia, which was part of the Kingdom of Poland at the time. It is believed to be derived from the Old Ukrainian word "liska," meaning "fox," suggesting a possible nickname or occupation related to hunting or trapping foxes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's tax registers from the late 16th century, where a certain Iwan Leskiw is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Kowalowka, near the city of Lviv.
In the 17th century, the Leskiw surname appears in various church records and property deeds in the regions of Halychyna and Volhynia, which were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time. One notable figure was Hryhoriy Leskiw, a Cossack leader who participated in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in the mid-17th century.
As the Ukrainian population migrated eastward during the 18th and 19th centuries, the Leskiw surname spread across the territories of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. In the late 19th century, a significant number of Leskiws emigrated to Western Europe and North America, seeking better economic opportunities and fleeing political persecution.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Leskiw surname throughout history are:
1. Mykhaylo Leskiw (1876-1949), a Ukrainian writer and ethnographer, known for his works on folklore and traditional culture.
2. Yuriy Leskiw (1909-1995), a Ukrainian-Canadian engineer and inventor, who developed several innovative mining technologies.
3. Vasyl Leskiw (1920-2007), a Ukrainian-American artist and painter, renowned for his impressionistic landscapes and portraits.
4. Mariya Leskiw (1924-2011), a Ukrainian-Canadian community leader and activist, who played a pivotal role in preserving Ukrainian culture and traditions in Canada.
5. Bohdan Leskiw (1956-present), a Ukrainian-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, who has supported various educational and cultural initiatives in Ukraine.
The Leskiw surname has endured through centuries of Ukrainian history, adapting to various cultural and political circumstances while maintaining its distinct identity and pride in its heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leskiw
Among Census respondents with the surname Leskiw, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Leskiw 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 Leskiw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leskiw
Leskiw appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 1,552 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 Leskiw 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 | #157,234 | #155,682 | 1.0% |
| Count | 103 | 100 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leskiw bearers went from 103 to 100 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 1,552 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #155,682.
FAQ
Leskiw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leskiw?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Leskiw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Leskiw?
Leskiw ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Leskiw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Leskiw.
Has Leskiw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leskiw went from 103 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Leskiw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leskiw, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Leskiw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leskiw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Leskiw (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 Leskiw mean?
An ethnic Ukrainian surname derived from a place name relating to a forest. 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 Leskiw (0.03 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 are called Leskiw?
See how many people have the last name Leskiw on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.