NameCensus.

UK surname

Leach

An English occupational surname referring to a physician or healer, derived from the Middle English word "leche."

In the 1881 census there were 12,335 people recorded with the Leach surname, ranking it #345 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 14,032, ranked #452, down from #345 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Devon, North Devon and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leach is 16,054 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.8%.

1881 census count

12,335

Ranked #345

Modern count

14,032

2016, ranked #452

Peak year

1911

16,054 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leach had 12,335 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #345 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 14,032 in 2016, ranked #452.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 16,054 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Leach surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leach surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leach 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 7,656 #362
1861 historical 7,481 #378
1881 historical 12,335 #345
1891 historical 12,906 #338
1901 historical 15,109 #345
1911 historical 16,054 #303
1997 modern 14,353 #420
1998 modern 14,956 #419
1999 modern 14,925 #423
2000 modern 14,868 #424
2001 modern 14,568 #422
2002 modern 14,889 #423
2003 modern 14,527 #421
2004 modern 14,423 #423
2005 modern 14,041 #431
2006 modern 14,035 #430
2007 modern 13,979 #439
2008 modern 13,899 #441
2009 modern 14,254 #442
2010 modern 14,442 #446
2011 modern 14,239 #447
2012 modern 13,977 #445
2013 modern 14,268 #447
2014 modern 14,305 #447
2015 modern 14,170 #448
2016 modern 14,032 #452

Geography

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Where Leachs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes, Bradford and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Devon, North Devon and Stroud. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Devon 009 Mid Devon
2 Mid Devon 011 Mid Devon
3 Mid Devon 010 Mid Devon
4 North Devon 014 North Devon
5 Stroud 001 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leach

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leach

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Leach, 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 Leach surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Leach 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Leach is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Leach is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Leach falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Leach 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 Leach, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Leach

The surname Leach originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'læce', meaning physician or healer. It was an occupational name given to individuals who practiced folk medicine or herbal remedies.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Osbert le Leche, who lived in Worcester, England in the late 12th century. The surname appeared in various spellings in medieval records, such as le Leche, le Liche, and Leache.

In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are no direct mentions of the surname Leach. However, the name likely evolved from similar occupational names listed in the survey.

The surname Leach can be traced to various regions in England, including Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire. Some early examples include Robert le Lechche from Lancashire in 1246 and William le Leche from Yorkshire in 1297.

Notable individuals with the surname Leach throughout history include:

1. John Leach (c. 1590-1659), an English Puritan clergyman and President of Harvard College from 1675 to 1676. 2. Jonathan Leach (1628-1688), an English Baptist minister and a founder of the General Baptist movement. 3. Bernard Leach (1887-1979), a renowned British studio potter and art teacher, widely regarded as the 'Father of British studio pottery'. 4. Reginald Leach (1888-1970), an English football player who played for Everton and the English national team in the early 20th century. 5. Sidney Leach (1892-1963), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the English national team in the 1920s.

The surname Leach continues to be present in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong historical ties to England, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leach families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leach 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 3,946 Leachs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.76x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,946 2.76x
Yorkshire 1,711 1.43x
Middlesex 1,200 1.00x
Surrey 641 1.09x
Devon 460 1.83x
Gloucestershire 327 1.38x
Cheshire 310 1.17x
Hampshire 246 1.00x
Kent 234 0.57x
Cambridgeshire 219 2.87x
Essex 208 0.87x
Warwickshire 188 0.62x
Northamptonshire 178 1.57x
Berkshire 173 1.91x
Norfolk 173 0.93x
Staffordshire 169 0.42x
Somerset 154 0.79x
Durham 131 0.37x
Sussex 125 0.62x
Oxfordshire 115 1.54x
Northumberland 103 0.57x
Buckinghamshire 100 1.37x
Wiltshire 96 0.90x
Cumberland 95 0.92x
Suffolk 93 0.63x
Bedfordshire 88 1.41x
Nottinghamshire 81 0.50x
Glamorgan 69 0.33x
Lincolnshire 68 0.35x
Worcestershire 67 0.43x
Huntingdonshire 63 2.63x
Cornwall 60 0.44x
Derbyshire 58 0.31x
Hertfordshire 47 0.57x
Leicestershire 47 0.35x
Pembrokeshire 39 1.02x
Flintshire 34 1.05x
Herefordshire 32 0.65x
Dorset 28 0.35x
Montgomeryshire 26 0.94x
Lanarkshire 19 0.05x
Monmouthshire 17 0.20x
Shropshire 17 0.16x
Channel Islands 16 0.45x
Inverness-shire 13 0.36x
Westmorland 13 0.49x
Royal Navy 9 0.63x
Denbighshire 8 0.18x
Isle of Man 5 0.22x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.12x
Radnorshire 4 0.41x
Renfrewshire 4 0.04x
Rutland 4 0.45x
Brecknockshire 3 0.12x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.06x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.11x
Angus 2 0.02x
Fife 2 0.03x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.01x
Anglesey 1 0.05x
Ayrshire 1 0.01x
Berwickshire 1 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.02x
Merionethshire 1 0.05x
Midlothian 1 0.01x
Roxburghshire 1 0.05x
Selkirkshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Castleton in Lancashire leads with 274 Leachs recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.18x.

Place Total Index
Castleton 274 19.18x
Over Darwen 245 21.44x
Oldham 241 5.22x
Spotland 224 14.09x
Blackburn 160 4.20x
Wuerdle Wardle 153 35.24x
Bingley 150 19.72x
Lambeth 147 1.40x
Wardleworth 137 16.76x
Preston 117 3.06x
Horton In Bradford 113 6.06x
Little Bolton 113 6.14x
Heap 103 13.58x
Bury 96 5.88x
Hackney London 96 1.42x
St Marylebone London 92 1.43x
Manningham 89 6.05x
Islington London 87 0.74x
Kensington London 87 1.30x
Bradford 86 2.97x
Great Bolton 80 4.22x
Camberwell 78 1.01x
Leeds 76 1.13x
Manchester 75 1.17x
Portsea 74 1.53x
St Pancras London 74 0.76x
Butterworth 73 20.95x
Bethnal Green London 71 1.36x
Salford 71 1.69x
Tottington Lower End 68 10.00x
Shoreditch London 65 1.24x
Hulme 62 2.08x
Bermondsey 61 1.70x
Blatchinworth 60 18.42x
Thornton In Bradford 60 15.09x
Brighton 57 1.39x
Aston 55 0.66x
Runcorn 55 8.97x
Halifax 53 3.02x
Tipton 50 4.01x
Accrington 49 3.77x
Morchard Bishop 48 91.67x
Battersea 47 1.06x
Elton 47 9.51x
Newington 45 1.01x
Birmingham 44 0.43x
Chorley 44 5.48x
Hampstead London 44 2.34x
Hunslet 44 2.36x
Shipley 43 6.94x
Paddington London 42 0.95x
Livesey 41 16.33x
Clerkenwell London 40 1.41x
St George Hanover Square 40 1.88x
Barrow In Furness 39 2.00x
Holy Trinity 38 1.32x
Rochdale 38 36.43x
Allerton 35 22.99x
Great Yarmouth 35 2.28x
Sheffield 35 0.92x
Abingdon St Helen 34 12.85x
Cumwhitton 34 164.17x
Pilkington 34 6.26x
Chorlton On Medlock 33 1.45x
Haslingden 33 5.57x
Haddenham 32 44.57x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 31 7.17x
Mile End Old Town London 30 1.17x
North Meols 30 2.14x
Crompton 29 7.12x
Deptford St Paul 29 0.91x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 29 2.71x
Peterborough 29 3.53x
Radcliffe 29 4.21x
Birtle Cum Bamford 27 28.93x
Broughton In Salford 27 2.06x
Greenwich 27 1.41x
Hopwood 27 14.44x
Newton 27 2.45x
Southwark St George Martyr 27 1.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 876
Sarah 505
Elizabeth 482
Ann 262
Alice 253
Jane 228
Ellen 216
Emma 212
Eliza 159
Annie 155
Martha 140
Hannah 139
Emily 122
Margaret 112
Harriet 83
Louisa 81
Maria 76
Ada 73
Fanny 73
Edith 70
Charlotte 66
Florence 63
Clara 55
Betsy 53
Caroline 50
Susan 49
Catherine 48
Frances 46
Kate 46
Betty 44
Esther 43
Harriett 43
Agnes 39
Anne 36
Isabella 35
Lucy 34
Lydia 34
Matilda 33
Amelia 32
Susannah 30
Grace 29
Rose 27
Ethel 26
Amy 25
Elizth. 24
Sophia 23
Gertrude 21
Anna 20
Eleanor 20
Rachel 20

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 758
William 699
James 461
Thomas 386
George 371
Charles 238
Henry 215
Robert 200
Joseph 194
Alfred 121
Richard 117
Samuel 107
Edward 104
Arthur 102
Albert 95
Frederick 94
Walter 91
Harry 68
Herbert 60
Frank 50
Fred 48
Benjamin 44
David 43
Edwin 42
Isaac 37
Edmund 36
Ernest 35
Wm. 29
Abraham 25
Francis 24
Stephen 23
Thos. 22
Daniel 21
Peter 18
Tom 18
Fredrick 17
Joshua 16
Andrew 13
Jonathan 13
Jas. 12
Sidney 12
Christopher 11
Ralph 11
Willie 11
Ellis 10
Geo. 10
Jno. 10
Michael 10
Percy 10
Elijah 9

FAQ

Leach surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leach surname in 1881?

In 1881, 12,335 people were recorded with the Leach surname. That placed it at #345 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leach surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 14,032 in 2016. That gives Leach a modern rank of #452.

What does the Leach surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a physician or healer, derived from the Middle English word "leche."

What does the Leach map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Leach 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.