Leighs Surname

1,775,494th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 107 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
New Zealand

Leighs Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the lees' (v. Lee), from residence thereby. Also 'of Lees,' a hamlet in the parish of Ashton-under-Lyne. This has originated a large number of the South Lancashire Lees.

Roger de Lees, Norfolk, 1273.

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Leighs Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England511:1,092,51152,584
United States291:12,498,584473,286
New Zealand181:251,57423,165
Wales41:773,63329,106
Canada21:18,422,796409,488
Scotland21:2,676,90851,579
Australia11:26,995,701270,794
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England281:870,54937,307

Leighs Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the lees' (v. Lee), from residence thereby. Also 'of Lees,' a hamlet in the parish of Ashton-under-Lyne. This has originated a large number of the South Lancashire Lees.

Roger de Lees, Norfolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John de Lees, Norfolk, ibid.

Avelina de Leys. Placitorum in domo capitulari Westmonasteriensi.

William de Leghes, ibid.

1577. William Sulham and Anne Lease, widow: Marriage Lic. (London).

1582. Robert Leese, of Ashton-under-Lyne: Wills at Chester.

1593. Edward Leese, of Ashton-under-Lyne: ibid.

1687. Baptised — Richard, son of Richard Leighs: St. James, Clerkenwell.

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

In the Highlands this name derives from M'llliosa (Mac Gill'Iosa), 'son of the gillie of Jesus,' corrupted to M'A'Llos and Lios, whence Lees.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

Places in cos. Lancaster, Stafford, Chester, and an estate at Eccles, co, Berwick.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Meadows, fields.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

Leighs Last Name Facts

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

The surname Leighs occurs in England more than any other country or territory. It may also appear in the variant forms:. Click here to see other possible spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Leighs? popularity and diffusion

It is the 1,775,494th most widely held surname in the world, borne by approximately 1 in 68,107,906 people. It occurs predominantly in Europe, where 53 percent of Leighs reside; 53 percent reside in Northern Europe and 53 percent reside in British Isles.

The surname is most commonly held in England, where it is held by 51 people, or 1 in 1,092,511. In England it is most prevalent in: Staffordshire, where 63 percent live, Wiltshire, where 12 percent live and Greater London, where 8 percent live. Without taking into account England Leighs exists in 6 countries. It also occurs in The United States, where 27 percent live and New Zealand, where 17 percent live.

Leighs Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Leighs has changed through the years. In England the share of the population with the last name grew 182 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Leighs Last Name Statistics demography

In The United States those bearing the Leighs surname are 28.23% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 75% being registered with the political party.

Leighs earn a lot less than the average income. In United States they earn 49.24% less than the national average, earning $21,902 USD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Leighst920/
Leight831,396/
Leiges831/
Leiaght772/
Leicght771/
Leighth770/
Lheight770/
Leighhe770/
Light7344,903/
Leige7374/
Leght732/
Leixh731/
Leighová712/
Laight671,176/
Luiges678/
Leaght674/
Legghe674/
Legees672/
Leughe672/
Loight672/
Laughs671/
Llight670/
Leages670/
Loughs670/

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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 Leighs
  • 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