NameCensus.

UK surname

Leonard

An English surname derived from the Germanic elements "leo" (lion) and "hard" (brave or hardy).

In the 1881 census there were 6,476 people recorded with the Leonard surname, ranking it #656 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,938, ranked #548, up from #656 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Cambridgeshire, Sunderland and Stockton-on-Tees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leonard is 12,209 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 84.3%.

1881 census count

6,476

Ranked #656

Modern count

11,938

2016, ranked #548

Peak year

2014

12,209 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leonard had 6,476 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #656 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,938 in 2016, ranked #548.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,559 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Leonard surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leonard surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leonard 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 3,346 #862
1861 historical 4,073 #686
1881 historical 6,476 #656
1891 historical 7,190 #625
1901 historical 8,362 #639
1911 historical 9,559 #515
1997 modern 11,552 #528
1998 modern 11,944 #531
1999 modern 11,950 #535
2000 modern 11,794 #539
2001 modern 11,525 #538
2002 modern 11,728 #539
2003 modern 11,428 #543
2004 modern 11,425 #544
2005 modern 11,308 #545
2006 modern 11,347 #544
2007 modern 11,457 #542
2008 modern 11,566 #541
2009 modern 11,877 #540
2010 modern 12,056 #547
2011 modern 11,947 #546
2012 modern 11,764 #544
2013 modern 12,099 #543
2014 modern 12,209 #543
2015 modern 12,034 #545
2016 modern 11,938 #548

Geography

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Where Leonards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Cambridgeshire, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Central Bedfordshire and Forest Heath. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire
2 Sunderland 009 Sunderland
3 Stockton-on-Tees 018 Stockton-on-Tees
4 Central Bedfordshire 003 Central Bedfordshire
5 Forest Heath 004 Forest Heath

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leonard

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leonard

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Leonard, 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 Leonard surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Leonard 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Leonard 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

Leonard is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Leonard

The surname Leonard originated in England in the 12th century. It derived from the Germanic personal name Leonhard, which meant "brave lion" or "brave as a lion." The name was brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest records of the name Leonard appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it is listed as Leonardus. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mentions a Leonardus de Wycumbe from Buckinghamshire.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to various regions of England, with different spellings emerging. In Yorkshire, it appeared as Lyonard, while in Oxfordshire, it was written as Lunard. The name was also found in places like Derbyshire and Warwickshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Leonard was Sir Thomas Leonard (c. 1490-1544), a prominent English courtier and landowner during the reign of King Henry VIII. He served as a Member of Parliament and held several important positions, including Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.

Other notable individuals with the Leonard surname include:

1. Henry Charles Leonard (1857-1933), an English composer and conductor known for his operas and orchestral works.

2. Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), an American novelist and screenwriter, renowned for his crime fiction and works adapted into films like "Get Shorty" and "Justified."

3. John Leonard (1639-1693), a British author and puritan minister, known for his book "The Boke of Vagabundes" which documented the lives of beggars and vagrants in 17th-century England.

4. Jacques Leonard (1701-1776), a French painter and engraver, noted for his portraits and historical paintings.

5. Mary Leonarda Terry (1856-1944), an American educator and missionary, who founded the College of West Africa in Monrovia, Liberia.

As the name Leonard spread across different regions, it also gave rise to various place names, such as Leonard Stanley in Gloucestershire and Leonardsley in Shropshire. These place names further contributed to the surname's evolution and regional variations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leonard families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leonard 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 1,037 Leonards recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.38x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,037 1.38x
Yorkshire 708 1.13x
Middlesex 685 1.08x
Gloucestershire 453 3.65x
Surrey 296 0.96x
Cambridgeshire 236 5.88x
Durham 232 1.23x
Lanarkshire 216 1.05x
Kent 214 0.99x
Staffordshire 194 0.91x
Warwickshire 164 1.03x
Suffolk 149 1.93x
Monmouthshire 146 3.19x
Glamorgan 138 1.25x
Cheshire 131 0.94x
Devon 121 0.92x
Wiltshire 117 2.09x
Northumberland 105 1.11x
Angus 101 1.72x
Essex 85 0.68x
Lincolnshire 78 0.77x
Sussex 67 0.63x
Hampshire 66 0.51x
Orkney 63 9.04x
Aberdeenshire 50 0.85x
Bedfordshire 42 1.28x
Derbyshire 42 0.42x
Northamptonshire 41 0.69x
Carmarthenshire 37 1.39x
Worcestershire 34 0.41x
Nottinghamshire 33 0.39x
Norfolk 30 0.31x
Leicestershire 29 0.41x
Midlothian 29 0.34x
Cardiganshire 27 1.75x
Renfrewshire 26 0.53x
Somerset 26 0.26x
Berkshire 25 0.53x
Hertfordshire 24 0.55x
Pembrokeshire 21 1.04x
Brecknockshire 20 1.58x
Cumberland 16 0.29x
Herefordshire 15 0.58x
Shropshire 14 0.26x
Royal Navy 13 1.72x
Channel Islands 11 0.59x
Dunbartonshire 10 0.59x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.24x
Dorset 8 0.19x
Kincardineshire 7 0.91x
Oxfordshire 7 0.18x
Argyllshire 6 0.34x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.48x
Shetland 6 0.93x
Cornwall 4 0.06x
Denbighshire 4 0.17x
Fife 4 0.11x
East Lothian 3 0.36x
Selkirkshire 3 0.52x
Flintshire 2 0.12x
Isle of Man 2 0.17x
Perthshire 2 0.07x
Roxburghshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 148 Leonards recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.24x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 148 3.24x
Bristol St George 123 21.41x
Aston 80 1.82x
Birmingham 78 1.47x
Soham 75 86.89x
Mildenhall 74 90.29x
Islington London 71 1.16x
Dundee 69 3.15x
Leeds 64 1.81x
Lambeth 57 1.03x
Stoke Upon Trent 56 2.47x
Manchester 55 1.63x
Castle Camps 54 280.23x
Barony 50 0.96x
Govan 48 0.95x
Newington 46 1.97x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 45 3.85x
Wolverhampton 44 2.68x
Camberwell 43 1.06x
St Marylebone London 42 1.24x
Hulme 39 2.49x
Preston 38 1.89x
Tonbridge 37 4.75x
Glasgow 36 0.99x
Kensington London 36 1.02x
Holy Trinity 35 2.32x
Kirkdale 35 2.77x
Oldham 34 1.40x
Shoreditch London 34 1.24x
St George In East London 34 5.71x
Bitton 33 30.52x
Salford 33 1.49x
Swansea Town 33 3.65x
Portsea 32 1.26x
Bermondsey 31 1.64x
Birkenhead 31 2.78x
Eriswell 31 324.27x
Maryhill 31 7.73x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 31 5.51x
Plymouth St Andrew 31 3.05x
West Derby 30 1.36x
Clerkenwell London 29 1.94x
Gateshead 29 2.06x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 28 2.55x
Rousay Egilshay 28 115.13x
St Pancras London 28 0.55x
Battersea 27 1.16x
Everton 27 1.13x
Farnworth 27 6.00x
Widnes 27 4.98x
Blackburn 26 1.30x
Stapleton 26 11.03x
West Ham 26 0.94x
Linthorpe 25 6.68x
Swindon 25 5.75x
Merthyr Tydfil 24 2.26x
Warrington 24 2.69x
Clifton 23 3.66x
Ardwick 22 3.25x
Bromley London 22 1.58x
Huddersfield 22 2.41x
St George Hanover Square 22 1.97x
Stoke Damerel 22 2.38x
Toxteth Park 22 0.86x
Bethnal Green London 21 0.76x
Bishopwearmouth 21 1.30x
Cheltenham 21 2.19x
Sheffield 21 1.05x
Little Bolton 20 2.07x
Southwark St George Martyr 20 1.57x
Westbury On Trym 20 4.75x
Almondbury 19 6.26x
Sunbury 19 24.98x
Bow London 18 2.23x
Bradford 18 1.18x
Hammersmith London 18 1.15x
Handsworth 18 3.42x
Isleham 18 48.90x
Mangotsfield 18 14.54x
Paddington London 18 0.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 496
Elizabeth 193
Sarah 172
Ann 141
Ellen 114
Margaret 103
Jane 98
Catherine 88
Eliza 77
Annie 74
Emma 70
Alice 69
Emily 52
Martha 46
Harriet 44
Bridget 42
Kate 42
Hannah 38
Ada 37
Louisa 37
Rose 36
Maria 34
Charlotte 33
Anne 29
Agnes 25
Fanny 24
Amelia 23
Caroline 23
Edith 23
Clara 21
Elizth. 20
Florence 20
Susan 20
Lucy 19
Julia 17
Isabella 16
Matilda 15
Frances 14
Susannah 13
Esther 12
Sophia 11
Eleanor 10
Ethel 10
Harriett 10
Lizzie 9
Lydia 9
Selina 9
Jessie 8
Margt. 8
Maud 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 419
William 307
James 230
Thomas 192
George 161
Henry 98
Joseph 88
Charles 84
Edward 78
Alfred 70
Patrick 68
Robert 61
Michael 55
Samuel 46
Albert 42
Frederick 42
Arthur 38
Richard 38
Walter 37
Peter 32
Francis 28
Martin 27
Ernest 26
Herbert 25
David 21
Frank 19
Harry 19
Daniel 17
Andrew 16
Edwin 16
Hugh 16
Timothy 15
Isaac 14
Thos. 14
Tom 13
Wm. 11
Willm. 10
Benjamin 9
Fred 9
Matthew 8
Philip 8
Robt. 8
Geo. 7
Percy 7
Stephen 7
Sydney 7
Christopher 6
Fredk. 6
Jeremiah 6
Luke 5

FAQ

Leonard surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leonard surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,476 people were recorded with the Leonard surname. That placed it at #656 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leonard surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,938 in 2016. That gives Leonard a modern rank of #548.

What does the Leonard surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Germanic elements "leo" (lion) and "hard" (brave or hardy).

What does the Leonard map show?

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