NameCensus.

UK surname

Lea

A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow or clearing in the woods.

In the 1881 census there were 5,888 people recorded with the Lea surname, ranking it #752 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,016, ranked #959, down from #752 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Sandbach and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, West Lancashire and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lea is 7,591 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.2%.

1881 census count

5,888

Ranked #752

Modern count

7,016

2016, ranked #959

Peak year

1999

7,591 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lea had 5,888 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #752 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,016 in 2016, ranked #959.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,963 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lea surname distribution map

The map shows where the Lea surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Lea surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lea over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 4,209 #678
1881 historical 5,888 #752
1891 historical 19 #32,642
1901 historical 6,963 #795
1997 modern 7,286 #884
1998 modern 7,534 #893
1999 modern 7,591 #893
2000 modern 7,575 #888
2001 modern 7,387 #890
2002 modern 7,507 #896
2003 modern 7,277 #904
2004 modern 7,174 #919
2005 modern 7,016 #924
2006 modern 6,958 #933
2007 modern 6,989 #937
2008 modern 7,016 #939
2009 modern 7,129 #947
2010 modern 7,248 #951
2011 modern 7,145 #951
2012 modern 6,932 #962
2013 modern 7,094 #960
2014 modern 7,110 #962
2015 modern 7,038 #957
2016 modern 7,016 #959

Geography

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Where Leas are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Sandbach, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, West Lancashire, St. Helens and Cheshire East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Sandbach Cheshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 011 East Lindsey
2 West Lancashire 006 West Lancashire
3 St. Helens 019 St. Helens
4 St. Helens 020 St. Helens
5 Cheshire East 031 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lea

These lists show first names that appear often with the Lea surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lea

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Lea, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Lea surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Lea household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Lea is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Lea is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lea falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lea is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Lea, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Lea

The surname LEA is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow, clearing, or woodland glade. It originated as a toponymic surname, indicating that the bearer lived near or came from a place with this geographic feature.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with notable examples including Robert de la Lye, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and William de la Leye, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with names derived from "leah," such as Lega in Lincolnshire and Lye in Worcestershire, which may have influenced the development of the surname.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Lea, Lee, Legh, and Leigh, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and scribal interpretations. These variations often led to confusion and interchangeable use of the spellings.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Thomas de la Lee (c. 1345 - 1407), a prominent English soldier and landowner during the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. He served as a Knight of the Garter and was appointed constable of Chester Castle.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Lea (c. 1480 - 1539), a member of the English gentry who served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII.

During the English Civil War, William Lilly (1602 - 1681), an English astrologer and author, gained fame for his accurate predictions and astrological writings. He was widely consulted by both Royalists and Parliamentarians during the conflict.

In the literary realm, Mary Lea (1623 - 1700) was a notable Quaker writer and minister from Leicestershire, renowned for her spiritual autobiographies and religious works.

The Lea family has also produced notable figures in the fields of science and academia, such as Sir Thomas Lea (1857 - 1939), a distinguished British zoologist and expert on deep-sea fauna, and Henry Charles Lea (1825 - 1909), an American historian and scholar of medieval history and the Spanish Inquisition.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lea families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lea surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 1,507 Leas recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.20x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,507 2.20x
Cheshire 744 5.84x
Staffordshire 511 2.62x
Middlesex 490 0.85x
Warwickshire 489 3.36x
Worcestershire 399 5.30x
Yorkshire 228 0.40x
Gloucestershire 180 1.59x
Surrey 179 0.64x
Shropshire 156 3.13x
Northamptonshire 97 1.79x
Leicestershire 96 1.50x
Wiltshire 82 1.61x
Derbyshire 78 0.86x
Kent 75 0.38x
Denbighshire 59 2.71x
Hertfordshire 44 1.11x
Berkshire 43 0.99x
Essex 36 0.32x
Hampshire 34 0.29x
Lincolnshire 32 0.35x
Devon 31 0.26x
Sussex 30 0.31x
Herefordshire 25 1.06x
Oxfordshire 23 0.65x
Glamorgan 22 0.22x
Pembrokeshire 22 1.20x
Somerset 22 0.24x
Durham 21 0.12x
Flintshire 21 1.35x
Cambridgeshire 20 0.55x
Nottinghamshire 18 0.23x
Lanarkshire 12 0.06x
Monmouthshire 12 0.29x
Renfrewshire 10 0.22x
Suffolk 10 0.14x
Montgomeryshire 8 0.61x
Cornwall 7 0.11x
Isle of Man 7 0.65x
Norfolk 6 0.07x
Midlothian 5 0.06x
Brecknockshire 3 0.26x
Anglesey 2 0.20x
Bedfordshire 2 0.07x
Dorset 2 0.05x
Merionethshire 2 0.19x
Royal Navy 2 0.29x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Berwickshire 1 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.08x
Orkney 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 129 Leas recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.22x.

Place Total Index
Aston 129 3.22x
Birmingham 128 2.64x
Liverpool 85 2.05x
Sandbach 80 73.68x
Islington London 78 1.40x
Wigan 76 7.95x
Wolverhampton 70 4.68x
Manchester 65 2.11x
St Pancras London 65 1.40x
Everton 57 2.61x
Warrington 57 7.03x
Stoke Upon Trent 55 2.66x
Ormskirk 52 39.71x
Rufford 50 279.49x
Birkenhead 49 4.83x
Kings Norton 46 6.81x
Scarisbrick 46 57.91x
Monks Coppenhall 44 9.16x
Bowling 43 7.60x
Toxteth Park 40 1.73x
Wolstanton 36 6.09x
Walsall Foreign 35 3.48x
Hasbury 34 69.04x
Salford 33 1.64x
Camberwell 32 0.87x
Edgbaston 31 6.87x
Parr 31 12.66x
Redditch 31 20.30x
West Derby 31 1.55x
Litherland 30 20.97x
Macclesfield 28 4.95x
North Meols 28 4.18x
Widnes 28 5.67x
Barton Upon Irwell 27 5.24x
Kirkdale 26 2.26x
Newcastle Under Lyme 26 7.55x
Newton 26 4.93x
Northfield 26 18.20x
Walton On Hill 26 7.01x
Chorlton On Medlock 25 2.30x
Claines 25 12.10x
Westleigh 25 16.09x
Eccleston In Prescot 24 6.99x
Leicester St Margaret 24 1.54x
Windle 24 6.23x
Yardley 24 12.46x
Bethnal Green London 23 0.92x
Hemel Hempstead 23 12.84x
Liscard 23 10.03x
Clerkenwell London 22 1.62x
Kidderminster Foreign 22 20.66x
Odd Rode 22 34.89x
Paddington London 22 1.04x
Lambeth 21 0.42x
St Marylebone London 21 0.68x
Tenby St Mary In 21 22.51x
West Ham 21 0.84x
Castle Church 20 17.09x
Deptford St Paul 20 1.32x
Hammersmith London 20 1.41x
Runcorn 20 6.81x
Shoreditch London 20 0.80x
Burton Upon Trent 19 4.17x
Church Gresley 19 13.23x
Hulme 19 1.33x
Northampton Priory St 19 5.84x
Northampton St Giles 19 9.20x
Upholland 19 21.67x
Worcester St Peter 19 13.33x
Ashton In Makerfield 18 9.24x
Aughton 18 26.56x
Brereton Cum Smethwick 18 148.76x
Chelsea London 18 1.04x
Kensington London 18 0.56x
Knutsford Nether 18 23.39x
Leek Lowe 18 6.95x
Oldham 18 0.81x
Portsea 18 0.78x
Sutton 18 7.84x
Wilnecote 17 40.78x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Lea surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 406
Elizabeth 250
Sarah 188
Ann 132
Jane 131
Ellen 112
Annie 101
Alice 89
Emma 87
Hannah 75
Margaret 75
Eliza 70
Emily 53
Martha 51
Anne 39
Harriet 36
Louisa 35
Florence 34
Maria 33
Ada 31
Caroline 31
Fanny 31
Clara 30
Edith 29
Lucy 27
Agnes 25
Catherine 25
Charlotte 21
Kate 21
Frances 19
Rose 18
Isabella 17
Selina 14
Amelia 13
Ethel 13
Minnie 13
Eleanor 12
Elizth. 12
Esther 12
Harriett 12
Matilda 12
Amy 11
Gertrude 11
Jessie 11
Laura 11
Rosa 11
Julia 10
Sophia 10
Bertha 9
Lydia 9

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Lea surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 371
William 350
Thomas 258
James 200
George 172
Henry 135
Charles 125
Joseph 98
Edward 72
Samuel 68
Richard 62
Arthur 56
Alfred 55
Walter 49
Frederick 46
Harry 42
Robert 40
Frank 39
Albert 32
Wm. 29
Edwin 27
Herbert 27
Ernest 21
Job 17
Peter 17
David 15
Michael 13
Edmund 12
Tom 12
Francis 11
Thos. 10
Fredrick 9
Stephen 9
Benjamin 8
Daniel 8
Fred 8
Fredk. 7
Geo. 7
Ralph 6
Sidney 6
Eli 5
Harold 5
Isaac 5
Jno. 5
Leonard 5
Matthew 5
Owen 5
Abraham 4
Nicholas 4
Richd. 4

FAQ

Lea surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lea surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,888 people were recorded with the Lea surname. That placed it at #752 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lea surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,016 in 2016. That gives Lea a modern rank of #959.

What does the Lea surname mean?

A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow or clearing in the woods.

What does the Lea map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Lea bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.