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

Leyton, 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 Leyton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leyton in America

Leyton is the 33343rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leyton surname appeared 685 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 Leyton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leyton 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 Leyton

The surname Leyton originates from England, specifically in the county of Essex. It is derived from the Old English words "leac" meaning leek and "tun" meaning town or enclosure, referring to a settlement where leeks were grown or traded.

Leyton is recorded in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This early reference suggests the name's existence since at least the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John de Leyton, a landowner mentioned in Essex records from 1273. The place name Leyton is also found in medieval documents, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310.

Notable individuals with the surname Leyton include Sir Edward Leyton (c.1550-1610), an English politician and landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Another was Beaumont Leyton (1864-1943), a British artist and illustrator known for his watercolor landscapes.

Frances Leyton (1612-1677) was an English diarist and writer from Cheshire, whose personal writings provide insights into 17th-century life. Captain John Leyton (1715-1793) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.

A more recent figure was Michael Leyton (1941-2022), a British computer scientist and psychologist known for his work in artificial intelligence and visual perception. His theories on symmetry and shape perception were influential in the field.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leyton

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

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

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

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