2000
#8,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Leyba
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "leiba," meaning "slope" or "hillside."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,221 Americans carry the last name Leyba. That puts it at #8,579 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,202 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leyba 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
4.2K
1 in 81,202
Census rank
#8,579
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,681 bearers of the surname Leyba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8579th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leyba
The surname "LEYBA" has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "leiva," which means "yeast" or "leaven." This surname was likely initially given to someone who worked as a baker or had some connection to the baking trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Cartulario de Valpuesta," where a certain Martín Leyba is mentioned. This document suggests that the name was already in use during that time in the northern region of Spain.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various historical records from the province of León, such as the "Libro de la Montería" compiled by King Alfonso XI. This book, which documented hunting activities, mentions several individuals with the surname Leyba, indicating that the name had spread across different regions of Spain.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Leyba gained prominence in Spain, with several notable individuals bearing this name. Juan de Leyba (1518-1598) was a renowned Spanish architect who worked on several important projects, including the renovation of the Alcázar of Segovia.
Another notable figure was Pedro de Leyba (1570-1635), a Spanish military officer and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile and served as the governor of the territory between 1617 and 1625.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Atlantic, the surname Leyba was carried to the Americas, where it took root in various regions, particularly in Mexico and parts of South America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World is that of Rodrigo de Leyba, a Spanish settler who established a hacienda in what is now Colombia in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, José de Leyba (1730-1810) was a prominent Spanish military engineer who oversaw the construction of several fortifications in the Caribbean, including the Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca in Santiago de Cuba.
Throughout its history, the surname Leyba has undergone various spelling variations, such as Leiva, Leyva, and Lleyva, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences in different parts of Spain and Latin America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leyba
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Leyba 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 Leyba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.9% · 2,868
- White15.0% · 551
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 65
- Two or more races1.0% · 36
- Black or African American1.0% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leyba
Leyba 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
#8,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,836
+217 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 191 places
2020
#8,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,681
-155 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,396 | 3,619 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,587 | 3,836 | 1.30 | +217 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 191 places |
| 2020 | #8,579 | 3,681 | 1.23 | -155 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 8 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 Leyba 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 | #8,587 | #8,579 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,836 | 3,681 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.23 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leyba bearers went from 3,836 to 3,681 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,587 to #8,579.
FAQ
Leyba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leyba?
Name Census estimates that about 4,221 living Americans carry the surname Leyba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,202 residents.
How common is Leyba?
Leyba ranks #8,579 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,681 people with the surname Leyba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Leyba.
Has Leyba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leyba went from 3,836 recorded bearers to 3,681. That is a decrease of 155 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,587 to #8,579.
What does the Census say about the background of Leyba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Leyba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (2,868 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leyba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.9%), White (15.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Leyba (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 Leyba mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "leiba," meaning "slope" or "hillside." 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 Leyba (1.23 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 have the last name Leyba?
Want to know how many people are called Leyba? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.