NameCensus.

UK surname

Leslie

A habitational surname derived from various places in Scotland, likely referring to a fortified ridge or garden.

In the 1881 census there were 4,963 people recorded with the Leslie surname, ranking it #897 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,384, ranked #906, down from #897 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shetland South, Isles and West Kirkwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leslie is 7,483 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.8%.

1881 census count

4,963

Ranked #897

Modern count

7,384

2016, ranked #906

Peak year

2010

7,483 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leslie had 4,963 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #897 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,384 in 2016, ranked #906.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,527 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Leslie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leslie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leslie 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 3,435 #832
1861 historical 3,695 #763
1881 historical 4,963 #897
1891 historical 5,726 #823
1901 historical 6,527 #852
1911 historical 2,627 #1,959
1997 modern 6,844 #949
1998 modern 7,169 #947
1999 modern 7,244 #943
2000 modern 7,283 #931
2001 modern 6,999 #948
2002 modern 7,142 #946
2003 modern 7,050 #933
2004 modern 6,961 #945
2005 modern 7,001 #925
2006 modern 6,970 #932
2007 modern 7,013 #931
2008 modern 7,110 #927
2009 modern 7,278 #927
2010 modern 7,483 #919
2011 modern 7,336 #921
2012 modern 7,208 #916
2013 modern 7,293 #924
2014 modern 7,336 #925
2015 modern 7,334 #918
2016 modern 7,384 #906

Geography

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Where Leslies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shetland South, Isles, West Kirkwall, Ythsie and South Speyside and the Cabrach. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shetland South Shetland Islands
2 Isles Orkney Islands
3 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
4 Ythsie Aberdeenshire
5 South Speyside and the Cabrach Moray

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leslie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leslie

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

Leslie 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

Leslie falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Leslie

The surname Leslie has its origins in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "lios" meaning "garden" or "enclosure" and "lìth" meaning "gray" or "green." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a gray or green garden or enclosure.

The Leslie family can trace their roots to the lands of Leslyn, near the village of Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The first recorded bearer of the name was Bartholomew de Leslyn, who received a charter for these lands in 1171 from King William the Lion.

The name appears in various historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where several individuals with the surname Leslie are listed as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England. The surname is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century.

One of the earliest prominent members of the Leslie family was Sir Andrew Leslie, who was a Scottish knight and commander in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England in the early 14th century. He fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and was instrumental in the Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

Another notable figure was Alexander Leslie (1580-1661), a Scottish military commander who played a significant role in the Scottish Civil War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He served as a general in the Scottish Covenanter army and was instrumental in the victory over the Royalists at the Battle of Newburn in 1640.

In the literary world, Frank Leslie (1821-1880) was a Scottish-American publisher and entrepreneur who founded several popular magazines, including Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly.

Other prominent individuals with the surname Leslie include John Leslie (1766-1832), a Scottish mathematician and physicist who made important contributions to the study of heat and the understanding of capillary action, and Lisa Leslie (born 1972), an American former professional basketball player who is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the WNBA.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leslie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leslie 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 895 Leslies recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.98x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 895 19.98x
Middlesex 399 0.82x
Lanarkshire 352 2.25x
Angus 340 7.59x
Midlothian 323 4.99x
Shetland 211 42.72x
Fife 206 7.20x
Banffshire 196 19.54x
Lancashire 183 0.32x
Orkney 145 27.25x
Morayshire 142 18.90x
Renfrewshire 137 3.66x
Northumberland 124 1.72x
Perthshire 97 4.47x
Durham 93 0.65x
Surrey 86 0.36x
Yorkshire 61 0.13x
Kent 59 0.36x
Stirlingshire 58 3.25x
Buckinghamshire 41 1.40x
Cumberland 41 0.98x
Sutherland 41 11.02x
Kincardineshire 40 6.79x
East Lothian 39 6.09x
Dumfriesshire 38 3.56x
Sussex 36 0.44x
Ayrshire 33 0.91x
Inverness-shire 33 2.28x
West Lothian 33 4.53x
Devon 32 0.32x
Hampshire 31 0.31x
Dunbartonshire 27 2.08x
Somerset 25 0.32x
Berwickshire 24 4.10x
Warwickshire 24 0.20x
Nairnshire 23 15.58x
Roxburghshire 23 2.63x
Channel Islands 18 1.26x
Clackmannanshire 18 4.51x
Caithness 17 2.57x
Selkirkshire 17 3.89x
Essex 15 0.16x
Suffolk 14 0.24x
Berkshire 13 0.36x
Ross-shire 13 0.98x
Staffordshire 13 0.08x
Cheshire 12 0.11x
Gloucestershire 11 0.12x
Argyllshire 10 0.74x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 1.43x
Westmorland 10 0.94x
Leicestershire 9 0.17x
Royal Navy 8 1.39x
Worcestershire 6 0.10x
Derbyshire 5 0.07x
Bedfordshire 4 0.16x
Dorset 4 0.13x
Herefordshire 4 0.20x
Lincolnshire 4 0.05x
Wigtownshire 4 0.62x
Norfolk 3 0.04x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.05x
Buteshire 2 0.68x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.07x
Kinross-shire 2 1.64x
Monmouthshire 2 0.06x
Northamptonshire 2 0.04x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.13x
Shropshire 2 0.05x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.08x
Isle of Man 1 0.11x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.09x
Peeblesshire 1 0.44x
Wiltshire 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. Aberdeen Old Machar in Aberdeenshire leads with 219 Leslies recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.42x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen Old Machar 219 23.42x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 157 18.73x
Dunrossness 143 219.90x
Barony 116 2.93x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 116 4.45x
Govan 110 2.84x
Dundee 91 5.44x
Glasgow 71 2.56x
Kirkwall St Ola 66 82.81x
Westray Papa Westray 59 139.81x
St Vigeans 52 21.50x
South Leith 50 6.86x
St Marylebone London 49 1.90x
Islington London 45 0.96x
Hackney London 42 1.55x
Keith 36 33.66x
Kensington London 36 1.34x
Abbotshall 35 32.72x
Huntly 35 48.02x
Liff Benvie 31 4.56x
Shoreditch London 31 1.48x
Arbroath 30 20.20x
Chalfont St Peter 30 124.48x
North Leith 28 9.34x
Tingwall 27 109.40x
Abbey 26 4.55x
East Greenock 26 7.35x
Elgin 25 17.10x
Knockando 25 81.86x
Insch 24 94.19x
Dornoch 23 54.89x
Tynemouth 23 5.97x
Fyvie 22 30.10x
Rothes 22 60.03x
Dalkeith 21 16.43x
Fordyce 21 29.09x
Linlithgow 21 22.48x
Bothwell 20 4.71x
Brighton 20 1.22x
Drumblade 20 126.26x
Inveresk 20 11.40x
Newhills 20 21.81x
Peterhead 20 8.44x
Toxteth Park 20 1.03x
Mortlach 19 38.78x
North Shields 19 13.23x
Dysart 18 9.34x
Lerwick Gulberwick 18 23.54x
St Helier 18 3.86x
Turriff 18 24.90x
Lambeth 17 0.40x
Monquhitter 17 36.66x
Renfrew 17 13.74x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 16 65.57x
St Monance 16 46.80x
West Derby 16 0.95x
Heworth 15 5.29x
King Edward 15 29.06x
Kirriemuir 15 13.57x
Mile End Old Town London 15 1.46x
Rathven 15 7.96x
St George Hanover Square 15 1.76x
Aberlour 14 44.00x
Bedminster 14 1.91x
Boyndie 14 42.13x
Cardross 14 8.97x
Dallas 14 91.62x
Ellon 14 22.73x
Kingston On Thames 14 2.47x
Kingussie Insh 14 42.26x
Lewisham 14 1.59x
Liverpool 14 0.40x
West Greenock 14 2.08x
Forfar 13 5.36x
Leeds 13 0.48x
Lowestoft 13 4.67x
Marnoch 13 24.13x
Poplar London 13 1.42x
Udny 13 47.88x
Westoe 13 1.59x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 89
William 73
James 56
George 46
Robert 37
Thomas 33
Charles 23
Henry 23
David 15
Joseph 15
Alexander 14
Walter 12
Arthur 11
Norman 11
Edward 10
Alfred 9
Frederick 9
Richard 8
Wm. 8
Alex 5
Andrew 5
Frank 5
Peter 5
Francis 4
Albert 3
Alexr. 3
Harry 3
Philip 3
Alan 2
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Edmund 2
Geo. 2
Hector 2
Jno. 2
Louis 2
Michael 2
Percy 2
Samuel 2
Seymour 2
Sidney 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Alex.D. 1
Archibald 1
Armand 1
Chas.Wm.Mcm. 1
Clayton 1
Clement 1
Cornelius 1

FAQ

Leslie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leslie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,963 people were recorded with the Leslie surname. That placed it at #897 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leslie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,384 in 2016. That gives Leslie a modern rank of #906.

What does the Leslie surname mean?

A habitational surname derived from various places in Scotland, likely referring to a fortified ridge or garden.

What does the Leslie map show?

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