Leo Surname

5,280th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 107,324 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Italy
Highest density in:
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Leo Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Leo.' Seemingly in the hereditary surname period a Jewish personal name.

Leo le Horsmongere, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Jacobus fil. Leonis, Lincolnshire, ibid.

Read More About This Surname

Leo Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Italy18,5461:3,298287
United States10,8341:33,4564,180
Indonesia10,6551:12,4121,569
Tanzania7,8621:6,734882
Papua New Guinea7,2571:1,12435
Vietnam6,7561:13,713317
Nigeria3,7621:47,0873,653
Malaysia3,4581:8,529997
Brazil2,4831:86,2163,243
Spain2,1961:21,2902,315
Haiti1,6431:6,503769
Mexico1,6191:76,6683,285
Russia1,4621:98,57912,164
Bangladesh1,4421:110,5114,612
Venezuela1,3771:21,9351,543
Australia1,3671:19,7482,739
Malawi1,3591:12,5971,971
India1,3531:566,93727,724
Germany1,2871:62,5538,033
Ghana1,2471:21,6692,663
Saudi Arabia1,0341:29,8414,317
Canada1,0031:36,7354,669
South Africa9451:57,3317,276
Argentina9311:45,9113,873
England9081:61,3647,239
France8321:79,83511,273
Vanuatu8261:31947
Sri Lanka7311:28,4663,639
Peru7241:43,9013,960
Morocco7161:48,1517,863
China6981:1,958,913354
Philippines6801:148,88024,899
Sweden6551:15,0331,286
Algeria5091:75,89712,093
Egypt4881:188,39313,801
Austria4001:21,2893,342
Chad3851:35,3044,109
Dominican Republic3541:29,4721,755
Zambia3521:45,0284,349
Solomon Islands2961:1,960157
Liberia2761:15,9731,663
Fiji2511:3,563644
Belgium2361:48,7157,924
Ireland2291:20,5632,112
Switzerland2291:35,8645,201
Thailand2291:308,46453,166
Kazakhstan2271:77,8969,148
Netherlands2121:79,65613,403
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha2011:297
Kenya1981:233,23216,365
DR Congo1851:399,34933,942
Saint Lucia1621:1,104211
Namibia1581:15,2492,776
Israel1421:60,2657,682
Ivory Coast1391:165,9807,542
Cameroon1331:156,15817,045
Bahrain1181:11,4292,102
Estonia1151:11,4941,676
Belarus1141:83,34313,205
Poland1051:361,98840,373
Guyana1001:7,6221,234
Congo991:50,3954,631
New Zealand871:52,0508,333
Singapore811:67,9962,745
Taiwan781:300,5742,443
American Samoa771:72463
Uganda761:513,67529,105
Lithuania711:42,7417,091
Iraq681:515,0248,412
Uzbekistan651:475,83311,089
Barbados611:4,712567
Botswana611:35,8517,015
Iran561:1,371,11656,327
Cuba541:213,3844,419
Japan531:2,412,15630,150
Pakistan521:3,435,45926,277
Faroe Islands491:1,000135
Burkina Faso471:390,4706,130
Latvia461:44,5666,776
Denmark431:131,27211,828
Aruba421:2,464355
Azerbaijan421:229,7415,808
Hong Kong421:174,6542,959
Zimbabwe411:376,54234,729
Greece381:291,57342,990
French Polynesia371:7,5891,667
Turkmenistan371:148,3543,025
Myanmar361:1,442,722585
United Arab Emirates341:269,47919,099
Finland321:171,77215,201
Kuwait291:131,05814,967
Romania221:912,63052,244
Wales211:147,35910,403
Grenada191:5,712632
Turkey181:4,323,412102,143
United States Virgin Islands181:6,132931
Ethiopia161:6,096,64111,907
New Caledonia161:17,2644,719
Sudan161:2,344,3874,438
Afghanistan131:2,473,32216,278
Norway131:395,56035,657
Chile121:1,468,04024,959
Moldova121:296,78124,445
South Korea121:4,270,021781
Colombia111:4,343,09717,306
Jamaica111:260,9046,695
Kyrgyzstan111:542,96940,072
Scotland111:486,71119,179
Trinidad and Tobago111:123,9987,543
Georgia101:374,55415,620
Niger101:1,919,20237,248
Oman101:368,7975,193
Ecuador91:1,767,31620,027
Libya91:693,7751,982
Samoa91:21,534479
Togo91:805,3086,372
Tunisia91:67,8478,246
Guatemala81:2,010,3346,458
Jordan81:1,105,30516,405
Armenia71:418,5978,462
Bolivia71:1,516,6336,309
Czechia71:1,519,06797,842
Syria71:2,757,28911,022
Ukraine71:6,503,242257,739
Northern Ireland61:307,50612,899
Iceland61:63,3484,218
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Macau51:120,326534
Transnistria51:94,94011,199
Albania41:728,51420,844
Angola41:6,747,3046,999
Benin41:2,583,90073,293
Brunei41:104,6832,048
South Sudan41:2,853,7691,758
Swaziland41:324,550996
Tajikistan41:2,096,6737,416
Abkhazia31:80,9553,593
Croatia31:1,409,53570,997
Bahamas21:195,8761,708
Honduras21:4,408,2217,709
Lebanon21:2,818,54225,087
Lesotho21:1,016,27921,693
Mauritius21:646,70813,517
Nepal21:14,240,47817,812
Panama21:1,956,12915,285
Puerto Rico21:1,775,0706,602
Senegal21:7,289,6718,117
Uruguay21:1,715,87935,955
Andorra11:83,8382,381
Antigua and Barbuda11:99,1712,137
Bosnia and Herzegovina11:3,536,40219,532
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
Curaçao11:157,2471,313
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
East Timor11:1,215,928507
Falkland Islands11:3,132317
Guinea11:11,833,8173,268
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Laos11:6,588,3231,961
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Madagascar11:23,649,8379,420
Maldives11:404,1727,269
Marshall Islands11:51,8212,326
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Paraguay11:7,236,74616,511
Saint Kitts and Nevis11:55,1991,294
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines11:112,6591,704
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Seychelles11:92,3931,532
Sierra Leone11:7,089,6311,533
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Slovenia11:2,487,67531,128
Yemen11:26,425,29455,147
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1581:28,0372,919
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1401:174,11014,584
Wales61:261,4039,165
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States8771:57,2626,374

The alternate forms: Léo (204), Leó (17) & Lèo (2) are calculated separately.

Leo (498,860) may also be a first name.

Leo Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Leo.' Seemingly in the hereditary surname period a Jewish personal name.

Leo le Horsmongere, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Jacobus fil. Leonis, Lincolnshire, ibid.

Judeus Leo, Lincolnshire, ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(Latin-Greek, &c.) Lion [Latin leo, -ōnis, Greek λέων] Léon is a common French surname; and León and Leóne are common in Spain and Italy respectively.

See Lion, Lyon(s.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

This old Anglo-Irish name is peculiar to Co. Limerick.

IF 314*

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English) Descendant of Leo (lion).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

The Latin form of Lion.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Leo Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Leo Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Leo (Georgian: ლეო, Hindi: लेओ, Marathi: लेओ, Oriya: େଲଓ, Russian: Лео) is carried by more people in Italy than any other country/territory. It can also be found in the variant forms: Léo, Leó or Lèo. Click here to see other potential spellings of Leo.

How Common Is The Last Name Leo? popularity and diffusion

The last name Leo is the 5,280th most widely held last name world-wide, held by approximately 1 in 67,902 people. The last name occurs predominantly in Asia, where 27 percent of Leo are found; 20 percent are found in Southeast Asia and 17 percent are found in Italic Europe. Leo is also the 2,024th most frequently used first name world-wide. It is borne by 498,860 people.

It is most frequently occurring in Italy, where it is held by 18,546 people, or 1 in 3,298. In Italy Leo is most prevalent in: Apulia, where 43 percent are found, Campania, where 19 percent are found and Lombardy, where 8 percent are found. Without taking into account Italy this surname is found in 175 countries. It also occurs in The United States, where 10 percent are found and Indonesia, where 10 percent are found.

Leo Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Leo has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Leo surname rose 1,235 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 649 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it rose 145 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Wales it rose 350 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Leo Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the Leo surname is chiefly Catholic (98%) in Ireland, Orthodox (85%) in Russia, Orthodox (100%) in Belarus, Muslim (100%) in Kazakhstan, Christian (100%) in Kenya, Muslim (71%) in Nigeria and Orthodox (80%) in Ukraine.

In The United States Leo are 0.33000000000001% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than the national average, with 53.56% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Leo earn in different countries varies greatly. In Italy they earn 4.83% more than the national average, earning €31,479 per year; in Norway they earn 28.04% less than the national average, earning 249,032 kr per year; in Peru they earn 64.02% more than the national average, earning S/. 31,795 per year; in South Africa they earn 3.3% less than the national average, earning R 229,800 per year; in Colombia they earn 46.39% more than the national average, earning $33,233,300 COP per year; in Vietnam they earn 28.81% less than the national average, earning 58,686,100 ₫ per year; in United States they earn 10.76% more than the national average, earning $47,791 USD per year and in Canada they earn 11.47% more than the national average, earning $55,382 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Léo89204/
Leó8917/
Lèo892/
Leao8678,191/
Leos8619,695/
Leoz861,384/
Leou861,130/
Lleo861,105/
Leop86974/
Leho86817/
Leoa86253/
Leoi86170/
Leoh86147/
Leod86117/
Leoy8672/
Leot8655/
Leňo8654/
Lieo8652/
Leoo8626/
Leľo8625/
Leoś8624/
Leeo8614/
Leoj865/
Leĺo861/
Leost75918/
Lehou75707/
Leiyo75338/
Lehho75245/
Leosz75174/
Leaoa75115/
Legio75108/
Lieou7598/
Leijo7575/
Leous7542/
Leaou7526/
Leosh7519/
Lehoy7513/
Leaos7511/
Lehos759/
Leott759/
Lehop757/
Leaoz757/
Lehoi756/
Leoux756/
Lieho756/
Leaoh755/
D'Leo755/
Leois755/
Leyio754/
Leoss753/
Leoch753/
Leooa753/
Leaðo752/
Lejio752/
Lehoz752/
Leots752/
Leooe752/
Leopp751/
Leout751/
Lleos751/
Lejjo751/
Leouh751/
Leoup751/
Leozz751/
Lleao751/
Leodd751/
Hleos751/
Leoyd750/
Leaoy750/
Leods750/
Leotz750/
Lea6747,342/
Lehoux676,020/
Leaooa67619/
Lehosh6750/
Lehout6737/
Leohie6731/
Lehocz6726/
Leehou6710/
Lleujo679/
L'Eost677/
Leeoux675/
Lehous675/
Legioy675/
Lehotz674/
Lehost674/
Lehohu674/
Leosch673/
Ljo673/
Legioi672/
Lío672/
Leehoy671/
Lehoth671/
Llehgo671/
Leijoh671/
Leijou671/
Leheop671/
Leahou671/
Leujio671/
Leoush671/
Lheost671/
Leheoo671/
Leujoy671/
Leahoy670/

Leo Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Leo in the Georgian language
ლეოleo-
Leo in the Hindi language
लेओle'o-
Leo in the Oriya language
େଲଓela'o-
Leo in the Marathi language
लेओle'o90.63
लेवोlevo9.38
Leo in the Russian language
Леоleo-

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Leo
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis