Explore the Family Name Leishman

The meaning of Leishman

1. Scottish (Stirlingshire): occupational name for a maker of leashes, from Middle English and Older Scots lese, leise, lech(e), lesh(e) ‘a leash for holding a coursing hound or watchdog’, also ‘a thong for securing a hawk’, + man. The name would be synonymous with Lesmaker, Leshmaker, attested in early 15th-century Durham. 2. Perhaps also a Scottish variant of Leachman.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Leishman saw an increase in popularity from the year 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 17,408 with a count of 1,494. By 2010, the rank had risen to 16,395 and the count increased by 17.47% to reach 1,755. The proportion of individuals with the Leishman surname per 100,000 also increased by 7.27% during this period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#17,408	#16,395	5.82%
Count	1,494	1,755	17.47%
Proportion per 100k	0.55	0.59	7.27%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Leishman

Discussing ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of people with the Leishman surname identified as White, comprising 97.46% in 2000 and 95.95% in 2010. The Hispanic ethnic identity saw a significant increase of 41.13%, rising from 1.41% in 2000 to 1.99% in 2010. There was also a noteworthy change for those identifying with two or more races, which jumped by 157.50% from 0.40% in 2000 to 1.03% in 2010. The proportions of Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained unchanged, with no individuals identifying within these categories in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.46%	95.95%	-1.55%
Hispanic	1.41%	1.99%	41.13%
Two or More Races	0.4%	1.03%	157.5%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.4%	0.4%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%