NameCensus.

UK surname

Leith

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the port town of Leith near Edinburgh.

In the 1881 census there were 1,551 people recorded with the Leith surname, ranking it #2,717 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,874, ranked #3,395, down from #2,717 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Ronaldsay and Burray, Wick and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Balmedie and Potterton, Heldon West, Fogwatt to Inchberry and Marchmont West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leith is 1,874 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.8%.

1881 census count

1,551

Ranked #2,717

Modern count

1,874

2016, ranked #3,395

Peak year

2016

1,874 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leith had 1,551 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,717 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,874 in 2016, ranked #3,395.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,868 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Leith surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leith surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leith 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 1,041 #2,695
1861 historical 1,098 #2,557
1881 historical 1,551 #2,717
1891 historical 1,686 #2,676
1901 historical 1,868 #2,817
1911 historical 578 #7,032
1997 modern 1,786 #3,359
1998 modern 1,863 #3,357
1999 modern 1,834 #3,419
2000 modern 1,789 #3,477
2001 modern 1,702 #3,576
2002 modern 1,757 #3,546
2003 modern 1,735 #3,510
2004 modern 1,708 #3,575
2005 modern 1,706 #3,531
2006 modern 1,728 #3,497
2007 modern 1,755 #3,485
2008 modern 1,771 #3,484
2009 modern 1,807 #3,495
2010 modern 1,859 #3,480
2011 modern 1,812 #3,517
2012 modern 1,787 #3,504
2013 modern 1,829 #3,482
2014 modern 1,842 #3,488
2015 modern 1,850 #3,447
2016 modern 1,874 #3,395

Geography

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Where Leiths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Ronaldsay and Burray, Wick, London parishes, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Balmedie and Potterton, Heldon West, Fogwatt to Inchberry, Marchmont West, Forfar East and Pollok North and East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 South Ronaldsay and Burray Orkney
2 Wick Caithness
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Balmedie and Potterton Aberdeenshire
2 Heldon West, Fogwatt to Inchberry Moray
3 Marchmont West City of Edinburgh
4 Forfar East Angus
5 Pollok North and East Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leith

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leith

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Leith, 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 Leith surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Leith 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Leith 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.

Read profile summary

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

Leith 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

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

Meaning and origin of Leith

The surname Leith has its origins in Scotland, particularly in the region around Edinburgh. It is believed to have derived from the town of Leith, which was an important maritime center and port during the Middle Ages. The name Leith likely comes from the old Brittonic word 'leto', meaning 'warm meadow' or 'warm place'.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Leith dates back to the 13th century. It appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish nobles who were forced to swear allegiance to Edward I of England. In this document, a man named Alexander de Lethe is listed as a landowner from the area around Edinburgh.

The name Leith can also be found in various other historical records from Scotland, such as the Exchequer Rolls and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. In the 15th century, a Robert Leith is mentioned as a burgess of Edinburgh, indicating that the family had gained prominence in the city.

One notable bearer of the name Leith was Sir James Leith (1554-1613), a Scottish merchant and financier who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1609 to 1611. He played a significant role in the development of the city and was involved in various trade and commercial ventures.

Another prominent individual with the surname Leith was Sir Alexander Leith (1758-1835), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was celebrated for his bravery and leadership, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815.

In the literary world, the name Leith is associated with Muriel Spark (1918-2006), the renowned Scottish novelist and poet. Her full name was Muriel Sarah Camberg Leith Spark, and she was born in Edinburgh to a family with the Leith surname.

Other notable individuals with the surname Leith include John Leith (1928-2021), a British mathematician and computer scientist known for his contributions to the field of numerical analysis, and Robert Leith (1828-1906), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The surname Leith continues to be predominantly found in Scotland, particularly in the regions around Edinburgh and the Lothians. It has also spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by Scottish emigrants and their descendants.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leith families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leith 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 348 Leiths recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.84x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 348 24.84x
Lanarkshire 131 2.68x
Caithness 130 62.76x
Angus 106 7.56x
Middlesex 91 0.60x
Lancashire 74 0.41x
Midlothian 65 3.21x
Orkney 58 34.85x
Yorkshire 50 0.33x
Renfrewshire 48 4.09x
Surrey 47 0.64x
Durham 35 0.78x
Ayrshire 29 2.56x
Perthshire 28 4.12x
Sutherland 26 22.35x
Banffshire 21 6.69x
Northumberland 21 0.93x
Kincardineshire 20 10.86x
Kirkcudbrightshire 17 7.76x
Kent 15 0.29x
Berwickshire 13 7.10x
Leicestershire 12 0.72x
Herefordshire 10 1.61x
Nairnshire 10 21.65x
Fife 9 1.00x
West Lothian 9 3.95x
Wigtownshire 9 4.48x
Morayshire 8 3.40x
Cheshire 7 0.21x
Dumfriesshire 7 2.09x
Dunbartonshire 7 1.72x
Ross-shire 7 1.68x
Devon 6 0.19x
Inverness-shire 6 1.33x
Shropshire 6 0.46x
Staffordshire 6 0.12x
Sussex 6 0.24x
Carmarthenshire 5 0.78x
Derbyshire 5 0.21x
Essex 5 0.17x
Gloucestershire 5 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.25x
Stirlingshire 5 0.90x
Buteshire 4 4.36x
Norfolk 4 0.17x
East Lothian 3 1.50x
Suffolk 2 0.11x
Argyllshire 1 0.24x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.80x
Cumberland 1 0.08x
Hampshire 1 0.03x
Lincolnshire 1 0.04x
Roxburghshire 1 0.36x
Royal Navy 1 0.55x
Selkirkshire 1 0.73x
Shetland 1 0.65x
Westmorland 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen Old Machar in Aberdeenshire leads with 153 Leiths recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.30x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen Old Machar 153 52.30x
Wick 78 116.57x
Dundee 54 10.32x
Govan 47 3.88x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 44 16.78x
South Ronaldshay 31 179.92x
Canisbay 30 220.59x
Stonehouse 29 174.70x
Barony 27 2.18x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 24 2.94x
Glasgow 21 2.42x
Skene 19 204.52x
St Pancras London 18 1.48x
Montrose 17 20.01x
Creich 16 138.05x
East Greenock 16 14.45x
Ecclesall Bierlow 15 4.92x
Newhills 15 52.28x
Thurso 14 43.33x
Leicester St Margaret 12 2.93x
Stromness 12 96.08x
Bothal Demesne 11 102.14x
Dundonald 11 26.35x
Eccleston In Prescot 11 12.20x
Echt 11 162.96x
Edinburgh New North 11 62.36x
King Edward 11 68.11x
Banchory Devenick 10 58.11x
Blairgowrie 10 37.23x
Dornoch 10 76.28x
Forfar 10 13.18x
Nairn 10 35.69x
Toxteth Park 10 1.64x
Belhelvie 9 93.95x
Camberwell 9 0.93x
Carriden 9 87.12x
Eyemouth 9 58.86x
Higher Booths 9 27.81x
Kirkleatham 9 44.47x
Tealing 9 229.01x
Barrow In Furness 8 3.28x
Burghill 8 113.64x
Kensington London 8 0.95x
Leswalt 8 58.14x
Rayne 8 120.12x
Stockton On Tees 8 3.69x
West Derby 8 1.52x
Bow London 7 3.63x
Burntisland 7 27.96x
Chelsea London 7 1.54x
East West Greenock 7 370.37x
Everton 7 1.22x
Fowlis Wester 7 120.90x
Holywood 7 125.45x
Kirkpatrick Durham 7 102.64x
Lambeth 7 0.53x
New Deer 7 27.59x
Norton 7 42.30x
Salford 7 1.33x
Tyrie 7 39.80x
Barnes 6 19.24x
Bethnal Green London 6 0.91x
Borgue 6 102.04x
Dawdon 6 10.84x
Dunnet 6 72.03x
Edinburgh St Andrews 6 35.84x
Firth Stenness 6 84.03x
Hackney London 6 0.71x
Headingley Cum Burley 6 6.22x
Kirkwall St Ola 6 24.07x
Lasswade 6 12.95x
Leslie 6 221.40x
Medomsley 6 28.57x
Meigle 6 118.81x
Methlick 6 53.48x
Newington 6 1.07x
Rothiemay 6 84.27x
St Marylebone London 6 0.74x
Walmer 6 26.74x
Westminster St James 6 3.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 37
Elizabeth 19
Sarah 14
Margaret 12
Alice 7
Emma 7
Isabella 6
Ellen 5
Agnes 4
Ann 4
Anne 4
Annie 4
Fanny 4
Maggie 4
Charlotte 3
Eliza 3
Elsie 3
Grace 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Christina 2
Clarice 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Georgina 2
Harriet 2
Helen 2
Janet 2
Jean 2
Jemima 2
Jessie 2
Laura 2
Marian 2
Matilda 2
Cath. 1
Catherine 1
Clare 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Essyllt 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Hannah 1
Issabella 1
Jennie 1
Thomas 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 28
William 22
James 17
George 16
Thomas 15
Alexander 11
Robert 8
Charles 7
Henry 7
Frederick 6
Walter 5
Alfred 4
Frank 4
Joseph 4
Albert 3
Edward 3
Richard 3
Samuel 3
Andrew 2
Harry 2
Robt. 2
Alexr.R. 1
Archibald 1
Archibold 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Charley 1
Cornelius 1
David 1
Emily 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Hutchison 1
Isabella 1
Jas. 1
Lawrance 1
Louis 1
Ralph 1
Rowland 1
Theodore 1
Thos. 1
Willm 1
Wm.Forbes 1

FAQ

Leith surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leith surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,551 people were recorded with the Leith surname. That placed it at #2,717 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leith surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,874 in 2016. That gives Leith a modern rank of #3,395.

What does the Leith surname mean?

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the port town of Leith near Edinburgh.

What does the Leith map show?

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