NameCensus.

UK surname

Leeke

A locational surname derived from one of several places called Leek in England.

In the 1881 census there were 196 people recorded with the Leeke surname, ranking it #13,006 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 361, ranked #12,841, up from #13,006 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Duffield, London parishes and Coppenhall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Amber Valley, Shropshire and The Vale of Glamorgan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leeke is 416 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 84.2%.

1881 census count

196

Ranked #13,006

Modern count

361

2016, ranked #12,841

Peak year

2002

416 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leeke had 196 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,006 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 361 in 2016, ranked #12,841.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 328 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Leeke surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leeke surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leeke 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 134 #14,033
1861 historical 156 #14,813
1881 historical 196 #13,006
1891 historical 292 #11,351
1901 historical 305 #11,525
1911 historical 328 #10,714
1997 modern 381 #11,393
1998 modern 389 #11,594
1999 modern 403 #11,382
2000 modern 401 #11,382
2001 modern 402 #11,183
2002 modern 416 #11,120
2003 modern 408 #11,115
2004 modern 390 #11,495
2005 modern 373 #11,794
2006 modern 387 #11,514
2007 modern 382 #11,775
2008 modern 383 #11,876
2009 modern 375 #12,317
2010 modern 372 #12,651
2011 modern 375 #12,438
2012 modern 376 #12,262
2013 modern 371 #12,597
2014 modern 376 #12,553
2015 modern 375 #12,470
2016 modern 361 #12,841

Geography

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Where Leekes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Duffield, London parishes, Coppenhall, Longford, Sheriff Hales (Woodcote) and Rugeley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Amber Valley, Shropshire and The Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Duffield Derbyshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Coppenhall Cheshire
4 Longford, Sheriff Hales (Woodcote) Shropshire
5 Rugeley Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Amber Valley 003 Amber Valley
2 Shropshire 010 Shropshire
3 Shropshire 030 Shropshire
4 The Vale of Glamorgan 002 Vale of Glamorgan
5 Amber Valley 005 Amber Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leeke

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leeke

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Leeke surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Leeke household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Leeke 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

Leeke 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

Leeke falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Leeke

The surname LEEKE is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "leac" meaning "leek" or "garden," and has been recorded in various spellings such as Leeke, Leek, Leache, and Leache since the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a place where leeks were cultivated or as an occupational name for a grower or seller of leeks.

The earliest known record of the name LEEKE dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, where a person named William de la Leche was mentioned in 1195. The surname was also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it was recorded as Leche.

In the 13th century, the LEEKE surname appeared in various historical documents, including the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1284, where a John de la Leche was mentioned, and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, which recorded a Thomas de la Leche.

The LEEKE surname was also present in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, although it was likely spelled differently due to the variations in spelling during that time.

One notable person with the surname LEEKE was Sir Francis Leeke (1612-1689), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in the late 17th century. Another was Sir John Leke (1510-1557), an English nobleman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire during the reign of Queen Mary I.

Other historical figures with the LEEKE surname include John Leeke (1563-1637), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Ely Cathedral, and William Leeke (1691-1736), an English lawyer and writer who published several legal treatises.

The surname LEEKE has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Leeke in Staffordshire and Leeke Wootton in Warwickshire, which may have contributed to the origin and spread of the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leeke families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leeke 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. Shropshire leads with 55 Leekes recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.96x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 55 32.96x
Staffordshire 41 6.29x
Kent 16 2.43x
Middlesex 13 0.67x
Hampshire 8 2.02x
Suffolk 8 3.40x
Berkshire 7 4.83x
Worcestershire 7 2.78x
Lancashire 5 0.22x
Montgomeryshire 5 11.30x
Norfolk 5 1.68x
Gloucestershire 3 0.79x
Midlothian 3 1.16x
Surrey 3 0.32x
Cheshire 2 0.47x
Lincolnshire 2 0.65x
Northamptonshire 2 1.10x
Northumberland 2 0.70x
Warwickshire 2 0.41x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x
Dorset 1 0.79x
Durham 1 0.17x
Herefordshire 1 1.26x
Huntingdonshire 1 2.61x
Lanarkshire 1 0.16x
Monmouthshire 1 0.72x
Sussex 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Clunbury in Shropshire leads with 8 Leekes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1230.77x.

Place Total Index
Clunbury 8 1230.77x
Plumstead 8 36.41x
Sedgley 8 33.04x
Westminster St Margaret 8 85.84x
Burslem 7 37.49x
Reading St Giles 7 49.23x
Snape 7 2058.82x
Eccleshall 6 242.92x
Fareham 6 126.05x
Hyssington 6 2857.14x
Ruyton Of Eleven Towns 6 810.81x
Bushbury 5 427.35x
Cemmes 5 793.65x
Charlton Next Woolwich 5 72.78x
Diss 5 196.08x
Milwich 5 1388.89x
Northfield 5 104.38x
Shrewsbury St Mary 5 75.99x
Cheddleton 4 294.12x
Ercall Magna 4 336.13x
Lilleshall 4 156.86x
Liverpool 4 2.87x
Longdon On Tern 4 4444.44x
Shrewsbury St Chad 4 68.26x
Brewood 3 159.57x
Kensington London 3 2.79x
Oswestry Town 3 56.18x
Trentham 3 54.15x
Alnwick 2 40.49x
Clungunford 2 512.82x
Deptford St Paul 2 3.93x
Edinburgh St Marys 2 39.76x
Ellesmere Trench 2 909.09x
Gloucester Longford St 2 392.16x
Kings Norton 2 8.84x
Longford 2 3333.33x
St Marylebone London 2 1.94x
W Felton 2 281.69x
Whitby 2 31.01x
Aymestrey 1 232.56x
Baschurch 1 87.72x
Bedwellty 1 4.06x
Bristol St Stephen 1 102.04x
Broughton In Salford 1 4.77x
Coventry St Michael 1 6.39x
Croydon 1 1.91x
Diddington 1 769.23x
Fulbeck 1 232.56x
Holy Rood 1 125.00x
Hove 1 7.00x
Knutsford Nether 1 38.76x
Lambeth 1 0.59x
Leamington Priors 1 8.35x
Little Thurlow 1 434.78x
Louth 1 14.12x
Macclesfield 1 5.28x
Maryhill 1 8.18x
Peterborough 1 7.60x
Portland 1 14.66x
Portsmouth 1 10.98x
Rothwell 1 54.95x
South Leith 1 3.44x
St Martin 1 53.48x
Waldridge 1 104.17x
Wem 1 40.32x
Wimbledon 1 9.46x
Woolwich 1 4.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 20
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 7
Annie 5
Hannah 4
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Margaret 3
Maria 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Eleanor 2
Ellen 2
Fanny 2
Jane 2
Julia 2
Augusta 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Edith 1
Elizabth 1
Elizth.Ellen 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Georgiana 1
Harriet 1
Hester 1
Jemima 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Mabel 1
Margeret 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Nina 1
Nora 1
Prudence 1
Rosa 1
Thirza 1
Uraina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 17
William 15
Thomas 11
Henry 6
George 5
Benjamin 4
Edward 4
Richard 4
Samuel 4
Charles 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
James 2
Alan 1
Albert 1
Chas. 1
Edmund 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Jos. 1
Joseph 1
Raby 1
Rd. 1
Rich. 1
Stephen 1
Sylvester 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Leeke surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leeke surname in 1881?

In 1881, 196 people were recorded with the Leeke surname. That placed it at #13,006 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leeke surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 361 in 2016. That gives Leeke a modern rank of #12,841.

What does the Leeke surname mean?

A locational surname derived from one of several places called Leek in England.

What does the Leeke map show?

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