NameCensus.

UK surname

Leavy

Derived from the Old English term for "leafy," referring to someone who lived near a leafy grove or forest.

In the 1881 census there were 75 people recorded with the Leavy surname, ranking it #22,893 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 494, ranked #10,067, up from #22,893 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, London parishes and St Mary Whitechapel. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Manchester and Stafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leavy is 512 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 558.7%.

1881 census count

75

Ranked #22,893

Modern count

494

2016, ranked #10,067

Peak year

2014

512 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leavy had 75 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,893 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 494 in 2016, ranked #10,067.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 219 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Leavy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leavy surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leavy 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 101 #17,036
1861 historical 219 #11,124
1881 historical 75 #22,893
1891 historical 168 #16,937
1901 historical 145 #18,426
1911 historical 196 #15,150
1997 modern 434 #10,361
1998 modern 496 #9,658
1999 modern 489 #9,830
2000 modern 475 #10,016
2001 modern 457 #10,113
2002 modern 459 #10,264
2003 modern 454 #10,222
2004 modern 461 #10,107
2005 modern 462 #10,000
2006 modern 460 #10,073
2007 modern 475 #9,936
2008 modern 474 #10,040
2009 modern 493 #9,968
2010 modern 502 #10,029
2011 modern 498 #9,982
2012 modern 483 #10,116
2013 modern 493 #10,119
2014 modern 512 #9,911
2015 modern 506 #9,916
2016 modern 494 #10,067

Geography

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Where Leavys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Manchester, Stafford, Kirkmuirhill and Blackwood and Penicuik North. 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 London parishes London 1
3 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 048 County Durham
2 Manchester 035 Manchester
3 Stafford 016 Stafford
4 Kirkmuirhill and Blackwood South Lanarkshire
5 Penicuik North Midlothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leavy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leavy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Leavy, 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 Leavy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Leavy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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, Leavy 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.

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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

Leavy 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

Leavy 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 Leavy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Leavy

The surname Leavy originates from Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Léamhthaidh, which means "descendant of Léamhthaidh." The name Léamhthaidh is derived from the Irish word "leamh," meaning "elm tree."

In ancient Irish records, the name is often spelled as O'Leavy or Ó Léamhthaidh. The Leavy clan was prominent in County Sligo, particularly in the baronies of Leyny and Corran. They were known as a family of poets and historians.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leavy appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1265, the Annals mention a member of the Leavy family named Giolla na Naomh Ó Léamhthaidh, who was a renowned scholar and poet.

The Leavy family played a significant role in the Irish literary tradition. In the 16th century, Ferghal Óg Ó Léamhthaidh (c. 1530 – c. 1590) was a notable Irish poet and historian from County Sligo. His works include historical poems and genealogies of Irish families.

Another prominent figure with the surname Leavy was John Leavy (c. 1704 – 1778), an Irish Catholic priest and historian from County Westmeath. He wrote extensively on the history of Ireland and the struggles of Irish Catholics during the Penal Laws.

In the 19th century, Michael Leavy (1820 – 1898) was an Irish-born Australian Catholic priest and educator. He played a significant role in establishing Catholic schools and churches in Australia.

Another notable bearer of the Leavy surname was James Leavy (1885 – 1952), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Labour Party. He served as a member of Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament) from 1923 to 1948.

The Leavy name has also been associated with place names in Ireland, such as Leavylea and Leavybracky, which are townlands in County Sligo. These place names likely derived from the Leavy family's historical presence in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leavy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leavy 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. Surrey leads with 16 Leavys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.49x.

County Total Index
Surrey 16 4.49x
Lancashire 11 1.27x
Durham 8 3.68x
Flintshire 7 35.61x
Hampshire 7 4.67x
Kent 7 2.80x
Northamptonshire 6 8.72x
Cornwall 5 6.04x
Ayrshire 2 3.65x
Buteshire 1 22.57x
Middlesex 1 0.14x
Northumberland 1 0.92x
Sussex 1 0.81x
Warwickshire 1 0.54x
Yorkshire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southwark St George Martyr in Surrey leads with 11 Leavys recorded in 1881 and an index of 74.73x.

Place Total Index
Southwark St George Martyr 11 74.73x
Darlington 8 95.24x
Hanmer Halghton 7 7000.00x
Woolwich 7 75.92x
Peterborough 6 120.48x
Bodmin 5 364.96x
Southampton St Mary 5 53.02x
Beddington 4 289.86x
Salford 4 15.67x
Newton 3 44.84x
Manchester 2 5.12x
Stevenston 2 139.86x
Addington 1 588.24x
Aldershot 1 19.92x
Arundel 1 144.93x
Brightside Bierlow 1 7.03x
Edgbaston 1 17.48x
Kilmory 1 153.85x
Liverpool 1 1.90x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 15.38x
Oldham 1 3.57x
Rotherwick 1 909.09x
St George Bloomsbury 1 23.81x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Catherine 3
Elizabeth 3
Charlotte 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Bridget 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Kate 1
Leavinia 1
Lilian 1
Maude 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
Thomas 7
Charles 4
Michael 3
James 2
William 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Fredk.J. 1
George 1
Hyam 1
Joseph 1
Josh.Sw. 1
Patrick 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Leavy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leavy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 75 people were recorded with the Leavy surname. That placed it at #22,893 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leavy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 494 in 2016. That gives Leavy a modern rank of #10,067.

What does the Leavy surname mean?

Derived from the Old English term for "leafy," referring to someone who lived near a leafy grove or forest.

What does the Leavy map show?

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