How common is the surname Leo?

8,039 people in the United States had the surname Leo in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 38,406 Americans. It ranked 4,423rd of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Leo?

In the 2010 Census, 75% of people named Leo identified as white (not Hispanic), and 9.2% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Leo?

Melissa Leo, American actress, followed by Murugashankari Leo.

Where is the surname Leo most common?

Wikidata records people named Leo in the United States and India.

How do you pronounce Leo?

Leo is /ˈliːoʊ/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Leo getting more or less common?

More common. 7,638 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,039 in 2010, up 5.3%.

Is Leo also a first name?

Yes. Leo is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Leo

A surname, carried by 8,039 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈliːoʊ/ 2 syllables Soundex L000 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Leo is more common than 97.3% of them.

Origin

From Latin leō (“lion”), calque of Ancient Greek λέων (léōn), calque of Akkadian 𒉈𒍑 (nēšu)/Akkadian 𒌨𒄞𒆷 (urgulû), from Sumerian 𒌨𒄞𒆷 (UR.GU.LA, “lion; name of constellation”). Doublet of Leon, leu, lev, lion, and Lyon.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 8,039 people named Leo in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 38,406 Americans. That is up 5.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 7,638.

#4,423

rank among US surnames

8,039

people in 2010

2.7

per 100,000 Americans

+5.3%

change since 2000 (was #4,296)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,420	Marek	8,042	38,392
#4,421	Castellon	8,041	38,396
#4,422	Dellinger	8,040	38,401
#4,423	Leo	8,039	38,406
#4,424	Shinn	8,038	38,411

Who is named Leo

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

75% of people named Leo identified as white (not Hispanic), 9.2% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 7.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 75%
Asian and Pacific Islander 9.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 7.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 4.7%
Two or more races 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Leos

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Melissa Leo
American actress, born 1960
Murugashankari Leo
Bharatanatyam exponent, Theater actor, Research Scholar, born 1983
Ted Leo
American singer and guitarist, born 1970

Notable Leos come mostly from the United States (2) and India (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Leo

Leo has the Soundex code L000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L000.

Questions

Where does the surname Leo come from?: From Latin leō (“lion”), calque of Ancient Greek λέων (léōn), calque of Akkadian 𒉈𒍑 (nēšu)/Akkadian 𒌨𒄞𒆷 (urgulû), from Sumerian 𒌨𒄞𒆷 (UR.GU.LA, “lion; name of constellation”). Doublet of Leon, leu, lev, lion, and Lyon.
How common is the surname Leo?: 8,039 people in the United States had the surname Leo in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 38,406 Americans. It ranked 4,423rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Leo?: In the 2010 Census, 75% of people named Leo identified as white (not Hispanic), and 9.2% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Leo?: Melissa Leo, American actress, followed by Murugashankari Leo.
Where is the surname Leo most common?: Wikidata records people named Leo in the United States and India.
How do you pronounce Leo?: Leo is /ˈliːoʊ/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Leo getting more or less common?: More common. 7,638 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,039 in 2010, up 5.3%.
Is Leo also a first name?: Yes. Leo is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.