NameCensus.

UK surname

Leishman

An Anglicized spelling of the Gaelic surname derived from 'liath' meaning grey or hoary.

In the 1881 census there were 1,019 people recorded with the Leishman surname, ranking it #3,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,268, ranked #4,719, down from #3,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Falkirk - Town Centre and Callendar Park, Salford and Rossendale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leishman is 1,320 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.4%.

1881 census count

1,019

Ranked #3,843

Modern count

1,268

2016, ranked #4,719

Peak year

2010

1,320 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leishman had 1,019 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,268 in 2016, ranked #4,719.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,177 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Leishman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leishman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leishman 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 622 #4,153
1861 historical 751 #3,643
1881 historical 1,019 #3,843
1891 historical 1,125 #3,775
1901 historical 1,177 #4,159
1911 historical 130 #19,504
1997 modern 1,216 #4,660
1998 modern 1,281 #4,635
1999 modern 1,300 #4,600
2000 modern 1,278 #4,649
2001 modern 1,261 #4,613
2002 modern 1,291 #4,604
2003 modern 1,267 #4,585
2004 modern 1,279 #4,550
2005 modern 1,254 #4,589
2006 modern 1,259 #4,568
2007 modern 1,257 #4,632
2008 modern 1,253 #4,664
2009 modern 1,296 #4,622
2010 modern 1,320 #4,638
2011 modern 1,289 #4,682
2012 modern 1,268 #4,677
2013 modern 1,262 #4,786
2014 modern 1,278 #4,750
2015 modern 1,266 #4,750
2016 modern 1,268 #4,719

Geography

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Where Leishmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Monkland, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Polmont. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Falkirk - Town Centre and Callendar Park, Salford, Rossendale, Stevenston Hayocks and Balfron and Drymen. 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 New Monkland Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Polmont Stirling

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Falkirk - Town Centre and Callendar Park Falkirk
2 Salford 030 Salford
3 Rossendale 002 Rossendale
4 Stevenston Hayocks North Ayrshire
5 Balfron and Drymen Stirling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leishman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leishman

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Leishman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Leishman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Leishman 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

Leishman 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

Leishman falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Leishman

The surname Leishman is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "læce," meaning physician or healer, and the suffix "man," indicating a person or individual. This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname for someone who practiced medicine or healing arts.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1392, where a John Leycheman is mentioned. This spelling variation is indicative of the evolving nature of surnames during that time period, as they were often written phonetically or based on regional dialects.

In the 16th century, the name Leishman is found in various records from the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. One notable bearer of the name was Robert Leishman (1542-1612), a prominent merchant and burgess of Glasgow.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Leishman family had established roots in the parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire. This area was known for its association with the Knights Templar, and the name Leishman may have connections to the medical practitioners who served the order.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in literature can be found in Robert Burns' poem "The Twa Herds," where he mentions a character named "Daddie Leishaw." This suggests that the name was well-established in Ayrshire at the time.

Notable Leishman individuals throughout history include:

1. Thomas Leishman (1805-1869), a Scottish physician and pioneer in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. 2. William Leishman (1865-1926), a Scottish military physician who discovered the Leishmania parasite, which causes leishmaniasis. 3. John Gordon Mackintosh Leishman (1866-1924), a Scottish poet and author, best known for his work "The Threnody of Perdita." 4. James Fleming Leishman (1898-1981), a Scottish theologian and scholar of the New Testament. 5. Marjorie Leishman (1904-1992), a Scottish artist and painter, known for her landscape and still-life works.

The surname Leishman has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Leishman's Burn, a stream in Renfrewshire, and Leishman's Hill, a small eminence near Kilwinning, Ayrshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leishman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leishman 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. Stirlingshire leads with 246 Leishmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 67.30x.

County Total Index
Stirlingshire 246 67.30x
Lanarkshire 221 6.89x
Midlothian 196 14.76x
Fife 55 9.37x
Renfrewshire 43 5.60x
Dunbartonshire 35 13.14x
West Lothian 29 19.43x
Clackmannanshire 26 31.77x
East Lothian 23 17.52x
Middlesex 19 0.19x
Angus 17 1.85x
Lancashire 17 0.14x
Roxburghshire 15 8.36x
Dumfriesshire 9 4.11x
Selkirkshire 9 10.04x
Cumberland 8 0.94x
Northumberland 8 0.54x
Durham 7 0.24x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.65x
Kent 5 0.15x
Essex 4 0.20x
Yorkshire 4 0.04x
Sussex 3 0.18x
Buteshire 2 3.33x
Gloucestershire 2 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.16x
Dorset 1 0.15x
Inverness-shire 1 0.34x
Kinross-shire 1 3.99x
Peeblesshire 1 2.15x
Royal Navy 1 0.85x
Surrey 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Falkirk in Stirlingshire leads with 82 Leishmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 95.83x.

Place Total Index
Falkirk 82 95.83x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 81 15.16x
Barony 61 7.52x
Govan 33 4.16x
Glasgow 31 5.45x
Bothkennar 29 265.81x
Polmont 27 200.00x
Cumbernauld 26 178.20x
Falkland 24 260.02x
New Monkland 23 24.27x
Kilsyth 20 85.80x
Larbert 18 82.38x
Currie 16 196.80x
Denny 16 82.30x
Dundee 16 4.67x
Stirling 16 34.71x
Abbotshall 14 63.87x
Alloa 14 35.27x
Inveresk 14 38.94x
Slamannan 14 69.93x
South Leith 14 9.37x
West Greenock 14 10.16x
Colinton 13 87.84x
Abbey 11 9.39x
Blantyre 11 32.96x
Hamilton 11 12.30x
Kensington London 11 2.00x
Airth 10 215.52x
Muiravonside 10 107.64x
West Calder 10 38.21x
Cambusnethan 9 12.64x
Canonbie 9 96.77x
Galashiels 9 27.15x
Old Monkland 9 7.08x
Eastwood 8 16.91x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 8 25.47x
Everton 8 2.13x
Newbattle 8 70.48x
Stonehouse 8 73.60x
Whitburn 8 37.11x
Boness 7 34.01x
Dirleton 7 135.92x
Dollar 7 82.55x
Humbie 7 225.81x
Norton 7 64.58x
Berwick Upon Tweed 6 19.21x
Carluke 6 20.62x
Edinburgh St Johns 6 71.60x
Edinburgh St Marys 6 23.25x
Wemyss 6 24.17x
Biggar 5 68.97x
Maryhill 5 7.97x
Paisley Middle Church 5 11.18x
Sprouston 5 143.68x
Tillicoultry 5 27.46x
Bothwell 4 4.60x
Dumbarton 4 10.79x
Kirkcaldy 4 13.75x
Kirkliston 4 45.92x
Leeds 4 0.72x
Linlithgow 4 20.90x
Muncaster 4 220.99x
North Leith 4 6.51x
Paisley High Church 4 6.54x
St George Hanover Square 4 2.29x
West Ham 4 0.93x
Aberdeen Old Machar 3 1.57x
Bonhill 3 7.02x
Carriden 3 44.38x
Dymchurch 3 159.57x
Dysart 3 7.59x
Eastbourne 3 3.90x
Edinburgh New 3 29.10x
Morebattle 3 87.46x
Much Woolton 3 18.80x
Pittenweem 3 41.49x
Prestonpans 3 34.09x
St Cuthbert W O 3 7.21x
St Ninians 3 8.28x
Yester 3 94.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Alice 2
Elizabeth 2
Elizth. 2
Ellen 2
Margaret 2
Maxwell 2
Sybil 2
A.M 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
E.M.L. 1
Elizebeth 1
Eva 1
G.A.M. 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Joan 1
Kate 1
L. 1
Maggie 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Mary 1
R.E.M.L. 1
Rebecca 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
James 7
John 5
Robert 5
Alexander 3
Thomas 2
Alan 1
Archibald 1
Bertie 1
George 1
J.M. 1
Oswald 1
Richard 1
S.B.L. 1
Walter 1
Wiliam 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Leishman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leishman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,019 people were recorded with the Leishman surname. That placed it at #3,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leishman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,268 in 2016. That gives Leishman a modern rank of #4,719.

What does the Leishman surname mean?

An Anglicized spelling of the Gaelic surname derived from 'liath' meaning grey or hoary.

What does the Leishman map show?

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