NameCensus.

UK surname

Leigh

A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow, woodland, or clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 6,863 people recorded with the Leigh surname, ranking it #617 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,378, ranked #691, down from #617 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tameside, Warrington and Salford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leigh is 9,789 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.6%.

1881 census count

6,863

Ranked #617

Modern count

9,378

2016, ranked #691

Peak year

1999

9,789 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leigh had 6,863 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #617 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,378 in 2016, ranked #691.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,101 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Leigh surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leigh surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leigh 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 4,586 #613
1861 historical 5,137 #547
1881 historical 6,863 #617
1891 historical 7,603 #594
1901 historical 8,226 #655
1911 historical 9,101 #538
1997 modern 9,234 #679
1998 modern 9,695 #674
1999 modern 9,789 #671
2000 modern 9,670 #674
2001 modern 9,430 #677
2002 modern 9,654 #679
2003 modern 9,391 #682
2004 modern 9,326 #684
2005 modern 9,177 #689
2006 modern 9,099 #696
2007 modern 9,177 #697
2008 modern 9,184 #699
2009 modern 9,427 #697
2010 modern 9,583 #699
2011 modern 9,418 #704
2012 modern 9,263 #700
2013 modern 9,389 #705
2014 modern 9,445 #705
2015 modern 9,345 #701
2016 modern 9,378 #691

Geography

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Where Leighs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, London parishes, Manchester and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tameside, Warrington, Salford, Cheshire West and Chester and Bolton. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Warrington Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tameside 020 Tameside
2 Warrington 017 Warrington
3 Salford 024 Salford
4 Cheshire West and Chester 021 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Bolton 007 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leigh

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leigh

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Leigh surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Leigh 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Leigh 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

Leigh is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Leigh

The surname Leigh has its origins in England, with roots dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow or woodland clearing. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a clearing or wooded area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Legh" and "de la Leigh." These entries indicate that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, when many English surnames began to take shape.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Legh, Leighe, and Ley appearing in historical records. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors.

Leigh was also used as a place name, particularly in areas like Cheshire and Lancashire, where several townships and villages bore the name. For example, the town of Leigh in Greater Manchester was recorded as "Legh" in the Domesday Book.

One notable figure associated with the surname Leigh was Sir Peter Legh (c. 1501-1590), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Sir Thomas Leigh (1504-1571), a Lord Mayor of London and benefactor of the nearby village of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.

In the literary world, the surname is carried by Augusta Leigh (1784-1851), the half-sister and rumored lover of Lord Byron. The poet Vivian Leigh (1913-1967), famous for her portrayal of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, also bore this surname, although it was her married name.

Other notable individuals with the Leigh surname include the English philosopher Jasper Leigh (c. 1548-1589), the English Puritan minister William Leigh (1550-1639), and the British actor and director Richard Leigh (1943-2022).

While the surname Leigh may have origins in specific regions of England, it has since spread worldwide, carried by descendants of those who bore the name in its early days.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leigh families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leigh 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 2,897 Leighs recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.63x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 2,897 3.63x
Cheshire 1,131 7.62x
Middlesex 454 0.68x
Staffordshire 373 1.64x
Surrey 256 0.78x
Kent 247 1.08x
Yorkshire 236 0.35x
Somerset 170 1.57x
Devon 149 1.06x
Warwickshire 119 0.70x
Hampshire 106 0.77x
Northamptonshire 86 1.36x
Derbyshire 57 0.54x
Gloucestershire 57 0.43x
Essex 48 0.36x
Glamorgan 41 0.35x
Sussex 41 0.36x
Monmouthshire 40 0.82x
Worcestershire 35 0.40x
Lincolnshire 33 0.31x
Carmarthenshire 31 1.09x
Durham 31 0.16x
Channel Islands 29 1.46x
Lanarkshire 25 0.12x
Dorset 18 0.41x
Cornwall 17 0.22x
Leicestershire 13 0.17x
Shropshire 12 0.21x
Herefordshire 10 0.36x
Midlothian 10 0.11x
Oxfordshire 10 0.24x
Denbighshire 9 0.35x
Wiltshire 9 0.15x
Berkshire 7 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 7 0.16x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.08x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.33x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.15x
Hertfordshire 6 0.13x
Brecknockshire 5 0.37x
Flintshire 5 0.28x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.37x
Isle of Man 5 0.40x
Suffolk 5 0.06x
Bedfordshire 4 0.11x
Cumberland 4 0.07x
Merionethshire 3 0.24x
Norfolk 3 0.03x
Northumberland 3 0.03x
Royal Navy 3 0.37x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 0.21x
Anglesey 1 0.08x
East Lothian 1 0.11x
Sutherland 1 0.19x
Westmorland 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Warrington in Lancashire leads with 172 Leighs recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.19x.

Place Total Index
Warrington 172 18.19x
Stoke Upon Trent 157 6.52x
Heaton Norris 128 28.19x
Hulme 121 7.27x
Wigan 118 10.59x
Manchester 108 3.01x
Hyde 86 19.64x
Liverpool 81 1.67x
Lymm 77 71.38x
Westhoughton 71 33.35x
Bollington In 68 51.48x
Stockport 66 8.64x
Cheadle 65 22.93x
Pendleton In Salford 65 6.84x
Ashton Under Lyne 64 3.67x
Salford 64 2.73x
Openshaw 62 16.60x
Sale 56 30.76x
Westleigh 55 30.36x
Lambeth 53 0.90x
Macclesfield 53 8.04x
Burslem 52 8.00x
Sutton 52 19.44x
Toxteth Park 51 1.89x
Ardwick 48 6.67x
Little Bolton 47 4.58x
Bedford 46 27.57x
Mile End Old Town London 46 3.22x
Wedmore 46 65.33x
West Derby 46 1.97x
Chorlton On Medlock 45 3.55x
Everton 45 1.77x
Wolstanton 45 6.53x
Chelsea London 44 2.17x
Hale 44 85.99x
Preston 44 2.06x
Hackney London 43 1.14x
Gorton 42 5.60x
Blackburn 39 1.84x
Withington 39 15.18x
Islington London 36 0.55x
North Meols 36 4.61x
Altrincham 34 13.11x
St Pancras London 33 0.61x
Aspull 32 17.06x
Brightside Bierlow 32 2.45x
Croydon 32 1.76x
Lower Darwen 32 30.56x
Chorley 31 6.93x
Droylsden 31 11.91x
Moss Side 30 7.15x
Tonbridge 30 3.63x
Leeds 29 0.77x
Northenden 29 107.17x
Stretford 28 6.38x
Great Grimsby 27 3.96x
Windle 27 6.02x
Cheetham 26 4.37x
Aston 25 0.54x
Atherton 25 8.61x
Broughton In Salford 25 3.43x
Halling 25 83.19x
Oldham 25 0.97x
Barton Upon Irwell 24 4.00x
Chadderton 24 6.15x
Farnworth 24 5.02x
Pennington In Leigh 24 15.68x
Beswick 23 11.28x
Chiddingstone 23 76.72x
Millbrook 23 6.63x
Pemberton 23 7.23x
Runcorn 23 6.72x
St George Hanover Square 23 1.94x
Bedminster 22 2.16x
Bredbury 22 25.62x
Newton In Ashton Under 22 15.03x
St Marylebone London 22 0.61x
Stayley 22 12.97x
Burstow 21 75.62x
Upper Boddington 21 303.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 513
Elizabeth 294
Sarah 272
Alice 165
Ann 153
Ellen 147
Jane 130
Margaret 98
Martha 95
Annie 90
Hannah 90
Emma 87
Eliza 83
Emily 62
Harriet 54
Maria 47
Ada 43
Edith 37
Catherine 35
Frances 31
Florence 30
Esther 28
Lucy 28
Charlotte 24
Elizth. 24
Kate 24
Anne 23
Caroline 23
Clara 22
Fanny 20
Louisa 20
Amelia 19
Ethel 17
Jessie 17
Amy 16
Eleanor 16
Agnes 15
Minnie 15
Harriett 14
Rose 14
Bertha 13
Lydia 13
Rachel 13
Nancy 12
Ruth 12
Betsy 11
Betty 11
Isabella 11
Susan 11
Grace 10

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 477
William 360
James 286
Thomas 227
George 151
Henry 135
Joseph 129
Charles 101
Samuel 96
Robert 93
Edward 92
Richard 67
Alfred 63
Arthur 55
Peter 48
Walter 47
Harry 42
Albert 38
Herbert 35
Frank 33
Frederick 33
Edwin 26
David 23
Thos. 21
Ernest 17
Wm. 16
Daniel 14
Ralph 14
Benjamin 12
Edmund 12
Isaac 11
Francis 10
Fredk. 10
Sidney 9
Fred 8
Willm. 8
Edgar 7
Harold 7
Joshua 7
Matthew 7
Percy 7
Jno. 6
Jonathan 6
Oswald 6
Saml. 6
Stephen 6
Enoch 5
Fredrick 5
Mark 5
Richd. 5

FAQ

Leigh surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leigh surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,863 people were recorded with the Leigh surname. That placed it at #617 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leigh surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,378 in 2016. That gives Leigh a modern rank of #691.

What does the Leigh surname mean?

A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow, woodland, or clearing.

What does the Leigh map show?

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