Explore the Family Name Leek

The meaning of Leek

1. English: variant of Leake. 2. Dutch (also Van der Leek): topographic name for someone living near a water named Leek (North Holland), from leek ‘border water’. Compare Laack 2.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Leek in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Leek has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the years. In the year 2000, it was ranked as the 9697th most common surname, while by 2010, its rank had slightly dropped to 9991st. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname Leek showed an increase from 3,074 in 2000 to 3,228 in 2010, indicating a growth rate of 5.01%. However, when looking at the proportion per 100k people, there was a minor decrease of -4.39% over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#9,697	#9,991	-3.03%
Count	3,074	3,228	5.01%
Proportion per 100k	1.14	1.09	-4.39%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Leek

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that there has been a gradual change in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Leek. As of 2010, the majority of individuals with this surname were identified as White, making up 85.25% of the total, down from 87.12% in 2000. The second largest group was Black, with their percentage increasing from 8.98% in 2000 to 9.76% in 2010. Notably, there were also increases among those identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and those of two or more races. Conversely, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Natives, while still small, more than doubled over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
White	87.12%	85.25%	-2.15%
Black	8.98%	9.76%	8.69%
Hispanic	1.3%	1.64%	26.15%
Two or More Races	1.4%	1.58%	12.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.04%	1.43%	37.5%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.16%	0.34%	112.5%