NameCensus.

UK surname

Leary

Derived from the Irish surname Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire," a personal name meaning "calf-herder."

In the 1881 census there were 2,701 people recorded with the Leary surname, ranking it #1,648 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,154, ranked #3,003, down from #1,648 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, St Mary Whitechapel and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Knowsley and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leary is 2,701 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 20.3%.

1881 census count

2,701

Ranked #1,648

Modern count

2,154

2016, ranked #3,003

Peak year

1881

2,701 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leary had 2,701 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,648 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,154 in 2016, ranked #3,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,701 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Leary surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leary surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Leary 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 1,866 #1,549
1861 historical 1,778 #1,631
1881 historical 2,701 #1,648
1891 historical 2,448 #1,925
1901 historical 2,652 #2,084
1911 historical 2,495 #2,063
1997 modern 2,200 #2,823
1998 modern 2,243 #2,872
1999 modern 2,224 #2,912
2000 modern 2,219 #2,903
2001 modern 2,166 #2,907
2002 modern 2,223 #2,894
2003 modern 2,196 #2,866
2004 modern 2,196 #2,870
2005 modern 2,104 #2,943
2006 modern 2,081 #2,975
2007 modern 2,085 #2,999
2008 modern 2,103 #2,998
2009 modern 2,177 #2,977
2010 modern 2,243 #2,962
2011 modern 2,223 #2,947
2012 modern 2,154 #2,973
2013 modern 2,208 #2,954
2014 modern 2,204 #2,975
2015 modern 2,169 #2,992
2016 modern 2,154 #3,003

Geography

Back to top

Where Learys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, St Mary Whitechapel, London parishes, Manchester and St George the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, Knowsley, Copeland, Sheffield and New Forest. 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 St George in the East London (East Districts)
2 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 St George the Martyr London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 009 Liverpool
2 Knowsley 004 Knowsley
3 Copeland 003 Copeland
4 Sheffield 009 Sheffield
5 New Forest 001 New Forest

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Leary

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Leary

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Leary, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Leary surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Leary household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Leary 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

Leary is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Leary 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 Leary 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Leary

The surname Leary originated in Ireland, where it is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Laoghaire. The name derives from the Gaelic word "laoghaire," meaning "calf-herder" or "prosperous."

The name O'Laoghaire is associated with County Cork in southern Ireland, particularly the areas around Cork City and the Corca Laidhe region. It is thought to have originated as a hereditary surname among a family of cattle herders or traders in this region during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval chronicle of Irish history, which mentions an individual named Máel Muire Ua Laoghaire in the year 1028. The name is also found in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important historical source, referring to various individuals with the surname O'Laoghaire from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

The surname Leary emerged as an anglicized version of O'Laoghaire during the 16th and 17th centuries, as the use of English names and spellings became more widespread in Ireland. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the anglicized spelling was Dermot Leary, who was born around 1560 in County Cork.

Notable individuals with the surname Leary include:

1. Timothy Leary (1920-1996), an American psychologist and writer known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs and his catchphrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out."

2. Denis Leary (born 1957), an American actor, comedian, and writer, known for his roles in movies like "The Ref" and TV shows like "Rescue Me."

3. Nicky Leary (born 1966), an English rally car driver and former British Rally Champion.

4. Brendan Leary (born 1962), an American actor and voice artist known for his work in video games and animated series.

5. Patrick Leary (1834-1920), an Irish-born American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Kansas from 1885 to 1889.

While the name Leary has spread beyond Ireland and can be found in various parts of the world today, its origins lie in the ancient Irish clan of O'Laoghaire, with a long and rich history in County Cork and the surrounding regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Leary families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leary 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. Middlesex leads with 634 Learys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.40x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 634 2.40x
Lancashire 351 1.12x
Surrey 298 2.32x
Glamorgan 220 4.79x
Lincolnshire 179 4.24x
Kent 143 1.59x
Yorkshire 137 0.52x
Monmouthshire 71 3.72x
Essex 64 1.23x
Devon 56 1.02x
Staffordshire 55 0.62x
Durham 51 0.65x
Lanarkshire 45 0.53x
Warwickshire 45 0.68x
Hampshire 43 0.79x
Shropshire 38 1.67x
Gloucestershire 31 0.60x
Cheshire 25 0.43x
Derbyshire 24 0.58x
Midlothian 21 0.59x
Sussex 16 0.36x
Worcestershire 16 0.46x
Caernarfonshire 15 1.41x
Herefordshire 14 1.29x
Northumberland 13 0.33x
Nottinghamshire 12 0.34x
Berkshire 11 0.56x
Royal Navy 11 3.50x
Norfolk 9 0.22x
Leicestershire 7 0.24x
Cumberland 6 0.26x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.31x
Cornwall 5 0.17x
Merionethshire 5 1.04x
Oxfordshire 5 0.31x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.27x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.42x
Northamptonshire 3 0.12x
Wiltshire 3 0.13x
Dorset 2 0.12x
Hertfordshire 2 0.11x
Renfrewshire 2 0.10x
Westmorland 2 0.34x
Ayrshire 1 0.05x
Bedfordshire 1 0.07x
Channel Islands 1 0.13x
Selkirkshire 1 0.42x
Somerset 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St George In East London in Middlesex leads with 86 Learys recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.64x.

Place Total Index
St George In East London 86 34.64x
Manchester 73 5.18x
Liverpool 59 3.10x
Bermondsey 57 7.25x
Cardiff St Mary 52 20.54x
Merthyr Tydfil 47 10.64x
Southwark St George Martyr 47 8.85x
Everton 42 4.21x
Deptford St Paul 41 5.90x
St Marylebone London 40 2.84x
Poplar London 35 7.03x
Whitechapel London 33 12.68x
Barony 31 1.43x
Camberwell 31 1.84x
Islington London 30 1.17x
Kensington London 30 2.04x
Woolwich 28 8.42x
Coningsby 27 222.77x
Limehouse London 26 8.97x
Bedwellty 25 7.42x
Birmingham 25 1.13x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 23 9.44x
Southwark St John 23 28.49x
Kirkdale 22 4.18x
Leeds 22 1.49x
St Giles In Fields London 22 16.99x
Aberystruth 21 12.48x
Rotherhithe 21 6.44x
Bethnal Green London 20 1.74x
Lambeth 20 0.87x
St Pancras London 20 0.94x
West Ham 20 1.74x
Fulham London 19 4.96x
Mile End Old Town London 19 3.38x
Spitalfields London 19 9.57x
Swansea Town 19 5.04x
Battersea 18 1.85x
Portsea 18 1.70x
Wolverhampton 17 2.48x
Orsett 16 117.73x
Roath 16 7.66x
St Andrew Holborn London 16 14.00x
Bromley London 15 2.58x
Southwark St Saviour 15 11.06x
Tupton 15 120.77x
Chatham 14 5.65x
Chelsea London 14 1.76x
Preston 14 1.67x
Ashton Under Lyne 13 1.90x
Barrow In Furness 13 3.05x
Glasgow 13 0.86x
Llandaff 13 8.50x
Shoreditch London 13 1.14x
Aberdare 12 3.80x
Aston 12 0.65x
Mitcham 12 14.76x
Plymouth St Andrew 12 2.84x
Ratcliffe London 12 8.23x
St Botolph Aldgate London 12 22.08x
Barking 11 7.22x
Castleton 11 3.52x
Doncaster 11 5.76x
Gelligaer 11 10.48x
Llanwonno 11 6.66x
Royal Navy 11 4.09x
St George Hanover Square 11 2.37x
Sunderland 11 7.93x
Ealing 10 4.24x
Exeter Allhallows On The 10 110.99x
Munslow 10 181.82x
St Clement Danes London 10 18.31x
Toynton St Peter 10 332.23x
Brightside Bierlow 9 1.75x
Claxby In Spilsby 9 1011.24x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 0.63x
Great Grimsby 9 3.36x
Holy Trinity 9 1.43x
Hunslet 9 2.21x
Ludlow St Lawrence 9 19.84x
Plumstead 9 3.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 252
Ellen 102
Elizabeth 77
Catherine 74
Margaret 71
Sarah 55
Ann 41
Annie 41
Jane 32
Hannah 31
Kate 27
Alice 26
Emma 25
Eliza 23
Bridget 22
Emily 21
Johanna 20
Anne 19
Julia 18
Martha 17
Caroline 13
Charlotte 13
Maria 13
Florence 12
Fanny 10
Ada 9
Edith 9
Susan 9
Harriet 8
Harriett 8
Margt. 8
Norah 8
Louisa 7
Agnes 6
Amelia 6
Elizth. 6
Katherine 5
Matilda 5
Abigail 4
Anna 4
Betsy 4
Honora 4
Honorah 4
Jessie 4
Lucy 4
Minnie 4
Rebecca 4
Rose 4
Selina 4
Nora 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 243
William 101
James 77
Daniel 76
Thomas 71
Patrick 51
Michael 41
George 39
Dennis 36
Edward 34
Jeremiah 34
Cornelius 33
Joseph 31
Henry 30
Timothy 27
Arthur 21
Robert 18
Charles 17
Richard 16
Samuel 16
Alfred 13
Frederick 12
David 8
Denis 8
Thos. 8
Walter 8
Albert 7
Francis 7
Peter 7
Harry 6
Benjamin 5
Ernest 5
Frank 5
Lewis 5
Nicholas 5
Edwin 4
Herbert 4
Jno. 4
Stephen 4
Alexander 3
Bartholomew 3
Michal 3
Mike 3
Wm. 3
Abraham 2
Andrew 2
Elijah 2
Enoch 2
Michall 2
Percival 2

FAQ

Leary surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leary surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,701 people were recorded with the Leary surname. That placed it at #1,648 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leary surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,154 in 2016. That gives Leary a modern rank of #3,003.

What does the Leary surname mean?

Derived from the Irish surname Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire," a personal name meaning "calf-herder."

What does the Leary map show?

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