NameCensus.

UK surname

Leath

An English occupational surname referring to a worker who manufactures leather goods or works with leather.

In the 1881 census there were 193 people recorded with the Leath surname, ranking it #13,144 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 196, ranked #19,848, down from #13,144 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hemsby, Tipton otherwise Tibington and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Isle of Wight and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leath is 253 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.6%.

1881 census count

193

Ranked #13,144

Modern count

196

2016, ranked #19,848

Peak year

1861

253 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leath had 193 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,144 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016, ranked #19,848.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 253 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Leath surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leath surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Leath 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 140 #13,593
1861 historical 253 #9,764
1881 historical 193 #13,144
1891 historical 201 #14,866
1901 historical 175 #16,469
1911 historical 181 #15,911
1997 modern 218 #16,704
1998 modern 221 #17,021
1999 modern 210 #17,712
2000 modern 213 #17,503
2001 modern 204 #17,736
2002 modern 206 #17,966
2003 modern 203 #17,967
2004 modern 188 #18,919
2005 modern 191 #18,707
2006 modern 188 #19,023
2007 modern 196 #18,737
2008 modern 193 #19,077
2009 modern 196 #19,274
2010 modern 200 #19,457
2011 modern 193 #19,729
2012 modern 190 #19,864
2013 modern 200 #19,524
2014 modern 199 #19,775
2015 modern 200 #19,567
2016 modern 196 #19,848

Geography

Back to top

Where Leaths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hemsby, Tipton otherwise Tibington, St Pancras, Tettenhall and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Merthyr Tydfil and Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Hemsby Norfolk
2 Tipton otherwise Tibington Staffordshire
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Tettenhall Staffordshire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 025 Shropshire
2 Isle of Wight 011 Isle of Wight
3 Northumberland 032 Northumberland
4 Merthyr Tydfil 008 Merthyr Tydfil
5 Staffordshire Moorlands 001 Staffordshire Moorlands

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Leath

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Leath

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Leath is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Leath is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Leath 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 Leath 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 Leath, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Leath

The surname LEATH is an English habitational name derived from the Old English word "lēah" meaning a meadow, wood, or clearing. It originates from various areas in England where people hailed from places called "Leath" or similar variations.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century Domesday Book, which recorded land ownership in England after the Norman Conquest. Entries such as "Walterus de Leia" and "Rogerus de Leia" suggest early bearers of the name resided in locations with names like "Leigh" or "Ley."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire from 1195, which mention a "Radulphus de Leye." Another early example is "Walter de la Lye" appearing in the Curia Regis Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1212.

The surname has seen various spellings over the centuries, including Leath, Leith, Leeth, Leyth, and Leth. Some notable bearers of the name throughout history include:

1. John Leith (c. 1565-1629), a Scottish philosopher and mathematician. 2. Sir James Leath (1603-1671), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1666. 3. Alexander Leith (1758-1835), a Scottish politician and landowner. 4. Robert Leath (1767-1833), an English clergyman and author. 5. William Leath (1837-1909), an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of North Carolina from 1897 to 1901.

Several place names in England, such as Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire and Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, are believed to have contributed to the formation of the surname LEATH, as people migrated from these locations and adopted the place name as their family name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Leath families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leath 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 29 Leaths recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.58x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 29 1.58x
Norfolk 25 8.87x
Lancashire 20 0.92x
Staffordshire 15 2.42x
Herefordshire 14 18.62x
Durham 10 1.83x
Shropshire 9 5.68x
Surrey 9 1.01x
Kent 8 1.28x
Northumberland 8 2.93x
Yorkshire 8 0.44x
Cheshire 6 1.48x
Stirlingshire 6 8.87x
West Lothian 5 18.10x
Lanarkshire 4 0.67x
Leicestershire 2 0.98x
Sussex 2 0.65x
Denbighshire 1 1.44x
Devon 1 0.26x
Essex 1 0.28x
Gloucestershire 1 0.28x
Hampshire 1 0.27x
Monmouthshire 1 0.75x
Oxfordshire 1 0.88x
Worcestershire 1 0.42x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ormesby St Margaret W in Norfolk leads with 16 Leaths recorded in 1881 and an index of 2253.52x.

Place Total Index
Ormesby St Margaret W 16 2253.52x
Tettenhall 10 264.55x
Lambeth 8 5.00x
Chopwell 7 693.07x
Alsager 6 594.06x
Chetton 6 1935.48x
Hackney London 6 5.84x
Stirling 6 70.34x
Bury 5 20.11x
Carriden 5 400.00x
Dalton In Richmond 5 3846.15x
Newton In Leominster 5 12500.00x
South Walsham St Mary 5 2173.91x
St Pancras London 5 3.39x
Tipton 5 26.39x
Clitheroe 4 62.50x
Glasgow 4 3.80x
Hornsey 4 17.25x
Islington London 4 2.25x
Kensington London 4 3.92x
Stocksfield Hall 4 5714.29x
Sutton 4 1904.76x
Canon Pyon 3 681.82x
Hemsby 3 731.71x
Kirkdale 3 8.20x
Ramsgate 3 29.38x
Upton Cressett 3 1578.95x
Brighton 2 3.21x
Holy Trinity 2 4.58x
Kimbolton 2 512.82x
Manchester 2 2.04x
Paddington London 2 2.97x
Stockton On Tees 2 7.60x
Tonbridge 2 8.86x
Toxteth Park 2 2.71x
Allendale 1 39.53x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 5.79x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 1 30.49x
Byker 1 7.41x
Chelsea London 1 1.81x
Clayton 1 22.47x
Colchester St Mary At 1 78.13x
Croydon 1 2.02x
Ellel 1 89.29x
Folkestone 1 8.24x
Hammersmith London 1 2.21x
Holdenhurst 1 10.14x
Humberstone 1 59.88x
Kidderminster Borough 1 7.13x
Kyloe 1 158.73x
Lewisham 1 3.00x
Liverpool 1 0.76x
Llanferres 1 232.56x
Llangua 1 2000.00x
Lytham 1 30.12x
Marsh Baldon 1 500.00x
Medbourne Holt 1 1666.67x
Mile End Old Town London 1 2.56x
Shadwell London 1 19.49x
Tanfield 1 15.41x
Thurne 1 769.23x
Topsham 1 55.56x
Tynemouth 1 6.84x
Walmer 1 36.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Jane 8
Elizabeth 7
Ann 6
Emily 4
Eliza 3
Hannah 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Betsey 1
Catherine 1
Christiana 1
Clementina 1
Eleanor 1
Elena 1
Elizebeth 1
Ester 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Flora 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Lilias 1
Lydia 1
Margt.Ann 1
Martha 1
May 1
Mina 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
William 13
Thomas 7
Robert 6
James 4
Charles 3
Frederick 3
George 3
Harry 3
Henry 3
Richard 3
Albert 2
Alexander 2
Alfred 2
Andrew 2
Arthur 2
Herbert 2
Joseph 2
David 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Ethelbert 1
Hy.R.I. 1
Jacob 1
Leonard 1
Lionel 1
Mark 1
Nathan 1
Saml. 1
W. 1

FAQ

Leath surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leath surname in 1881?

In 1881, 193 people were recorded with the Leath surname. That placed it at #13,144 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leath surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016. That gives Leath a modern rank of #19,848.

What does the Leath surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a worker who manufactures leather goods or works with leather.

What does the Leath map show?

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