NameCensus.

UK surname

Leck

A German surname potentially derived from a geographic place name.

In the 1881 census there were 344 people recorded with the Leck surname, ranking it #8,864 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 585, ranked #8,879, down from #8,864 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Whitby, London parishes and Ryton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gateshead, Hartlepool and South Lakeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leck is 596 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.1%.

1881 census count

344

Ranked #8,864

Modern count

585

2016, ranked #8,879

Peak year

2010

596 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leck had 344 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,864 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 585 in 2016, ranked #8,879.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 571 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Leck surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leck surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leck 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 403 #6,004
1861 historical 391 #6,549
1881 historical 344 #8,864
1891 historical 451 #8,062
1901 historical 506 #7,977
1911 historical 571 #7,092
1997 modern 556 #8,593
1998 modern 556 #8,853
1999 modern 565 #8,787
2000 modern 559 #8,829
2001 modern 556 #8,732
2002 modern 570 #8,740
2003 modern 549 #8,854
2004 modern 548 #8,890
2005 modern 553 #8,749
2006 modern 541 #8,930
2007 modern 555 #8,841
2008 modern 563 #8,801
2009 modern 569 #8,929
2010 modern 596 #8,831
2011 modern 582 #8,894
2012 modern 583 #8,784
2013 modern 588 #8,867
2014 modern 594 #8,872
2015 modern 593 #8,806
2016 modern 585 #8,879

Geography

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Where Lecks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Whitby, London parishes, Ryton, Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) and Greenock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gateshead, Hartlepool, South Lakeland, North Tyneside and Stockton-on-Tees. 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 Whitby Yorkshire, North Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ryton Durham
4 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland
5 Greenock Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gateshead 002 Gateshead
2 Hartlepool 012 Hartlepool
3 South Lakeland 002 South Lakeland
4 North Tyneside 027 North Tyneside
5 Stockton-on-Tees 001 Stockton-on-Tees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leck

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leck

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Leck surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Leck 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Leck is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Leck is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Leck 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 Leck is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Leck

The surname Leck has its origins in northern Germany and Scandinavia. It is derived from the Old Norse word 'lekkr', meaning a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small body of water.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century in areas of northern Germany, such as Holstein and Mecklenburg. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Stadtbuch of Lübeck, a medieval chronicle from the 13th century, where a person named Tymmo Lecke is mentioned.

As the name spread across northern Europe, it took on various spellings, including Leck, Lekk, and Lecke. In Denmark, the name was often spelled Leck or Lek, while in Sweden, it was more commonly rendered as Leck or Lekk.

The name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Heino Leck, a 14th-century merchant and alderman in the city of Lübeck. Another was Jürgen Leck, a 16th-century German cartographer and engraver who produced maps of northern Germany and Scandinavia.

In the 17th century, the name Leck appeared in church records in the Dutch province of Friesland, suggesting that the name had spread to the Netherlands. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Wybe Leck, a Frisian minister and author who wrote a history of the city of Leeuwarden.

Moving into the 18th century, the name Leck can be found in various historical documents from northern Germany and Denmark. One example is Johann Leck, a German composer and organist who lived in the city of Hamburg during the mid-1700s.

Another notable individual with the surname Leck was Gottfried Leck, a 19th-century German painter and lithographer who was part of the Düsseldorf school of painting. He was known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in northern Germany.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leck families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leck 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 59 Lecks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.50x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 59 1.50x
Lanarkshire 43 4.01x
Yorkshire 34 1.03x
Durham 28 2.84x
Renfrewshire 25 9.73x
Cumberland 24 8.40x
Northumberland 20 4.05x
Staffordshire 18 1.61x
Westmorland 18 24.69x
Middlesex 11 0.33x
Gloucestershire 9 1.38x
Nottinghamshire 9 2.01x
Sutherland 8 31.37x
Warwickshire 7 0.84x
Somerset 6 1.12x
Ayrshire 5 2.01x
Herefordshire 5 3.68x
Surrey 3 0.19x
Flintshire 2 2.24x
Glamorgan 2 0.35x
Bedfordshire 1 0.58x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.50x
Midlothian 1 0.23x
Sussex 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 20 Lecks recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.50x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 20 10.50x
Barony 19 7.00x
Whitby 17 153.43x
Seghill 16 661.16x
Martindale 12 7500.00x
Ryton 12 345.82x
Hulme 10 12.17x
West Greenock 10 21.67x
Nottingham St Mary 9 7.78x
Underskiddaw 9 1475.41x
Barrow In Furness 8 14.94x
Clyne 8 388.35x
Garston 8 68.85x
Newholme Cum Dunsley 8 1777.78x
Birmingham 7 2.51x
Burton Upon Trent 7 26.73x
Inverkip 7 115.51x
Lowick 7 1590.91x
Bedminster 6 11.96x
Cornsay 6 225.56x
Brinsop 5 2777.78x
Cleator 5 42.05x
Dalrymple 5 320.51x
Hackney London 5 2.69x
Kirkdale 5 7.55x
Little Hulton 5 76.69x
Pennington In Ulverston 5 255.10x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 6.53x
Gloucester Barton St 4 104.99x
Kendal 4 29.99x
Motherby 4 4000.00x
Port Glasgow 4 32.18x
Southwick 4 42.83x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 3.37x
Aldridge 3 139.53x
Armitage 3 205.48x
East Greenock 3 12.36x
Houghton Le Spring 3 43.99x
Kensington London 3 1.63x
Lancaster 3 12.81x
Longbenton 3 14.35x
Whickham 3 33.04x
Bangor Is Y Coed 2 434.78x
Cardiff St Mary 2 6.29x
Govan 2 0.75x
Newington 2 1.63x
Penrith 2 18.96x
Salford 2 1.73x
Sculcoates 2 3.84x
St Cuthbert W O 2 14.37x
Ulverston 2 17.45x
West Derby 2 1.74x
Aylesbury 1 11.26x
Balderstone 1 181.82x
Bootle 1 108.70x
Cambusnethan 1 4.20x
Cathcart 1 7.19x
Chirton 1 8.95x
Clifton 1 3.04x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 1.50x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.56x
Everton 1 0.80x
Halifax 1 2.07x
Hastings St Leonards 1 12.17x
Hutton Cranswick 1 72.46x
Kirkby Thore 1 169.49x
Lambeth 1 0.35x
Middlesbrough 1 2.34x
Mile End Old Town London 1 1.42x
Millom 1 11.43x
Old Monkland 1 2.35x
Paddington London 1 0.82x
Patterdale 1 123.46x
Selby 1 14.56x
Sheffield 1 0.96x
Soothill 1 8.42x
Spitalfields London 1 4.01x
Turvey 1 91.74x
Wolverhampton 1 1.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Sarah 13
Elizabeth 12
Margaret 10
Jane 8
Hannah 5
Ann 4
Ellen 4
Agnes 3
Alice 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Martha 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Catharine 2
Emily 2
Margt. 2
Angie 1
Anne 1
Baby 1
Bessy 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Dinah 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Elena 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriett 1
Isabel 1
Isabell 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
M.A. 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1
Thirsa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
William 15
George 13
Thomas 13
James 11
Joseph 10
Robert 9
Thos. 4
Andrew 3
Arthur 3
Charles 2
Ernest 2
Henry 2
Peter 2
Simon 2
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ellis 1
Francis 1
Georg 1
Gillard 1
Grisdale 1
Harry 1
Leonard 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Solamen 1
Solomon 1
Walker 1
Willm. 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Leck surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leck surname in 1881?

In 1881, 344 people were recorded with the Leck surname. That placed it at #8,864 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leck surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 585 in 2016. That gives Leck a modern rank of #8,879.

What does the Leck surname mean?

A German surname potentially derived from a geographic place name.

What does the Leck map show?

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