Explore the Family Name Leo
The meaning of Leo
1. Italian (southern): nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, from Latin leo ‘lion’. 2. Italian: from a short form of the personal name Pantaleo. 3. Jewish: from the personal name Leo (from Latin leo ‘lion’), borrowed from Christians as an equivalent of Hebrew Yehuda (see Leib 1). 4. English: from the Old French personal name Leon ‘lion’ (see Lyon). 5. Spanish: from a variant of the personal name León (see Leon). 6. Dutch: from Latin leo ‘lion’, applied either a nickname for a strong or fearless man or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a lion; or alternatively from a personal name of the same derivation. 7. French (Léo): variant of Léon (see Leon). 8. German: Latinized (humanistic) form of Löwe (see Lowe 2). 9. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 廖 (see Liao), 梁 (see Liang 1), 劉 and 柳 (see Liu 1–2). Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Rocco, Antonio, Angelo, Domenic, Enrico, Luigi, Pasquale, Carlo, Carmine, Cosmo, Damiano.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Leo in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Leo showed a slight drop in popularity from 2000 to 2010, moving from rank 4296 to 4423, a decrease of 2.96%. Despite this, the actual count of individuals with the Leo surname increased by 5.25%, from 7638 to 8039. However, its proportion per 100k people slightly decreased by 3.53%, indicating that while more people have this surname, it has become less common relative to the total U.S. population.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,296 | #4,423 | -2.96% |
| Count | 7,638 | 8,039 | 5.25% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.83 | 2.73 | -3.53% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Leo
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Leo also saw changes between 2000 and 2010 as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. While the majority remained White (from 78.42% to 75.37%), there was notable growth in the Hispanic and Black communities, increasing by 31.01% and 34.00%, respectively. The Asian/Pacific Islander community also saw a modest increase of 3.73%. The proportion of individuals identifying as two or more races decreased by 12.65%, and the American Indian and Alaskan Native group had a small increase of 2.35%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.42% | 75.37% | -3.89% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 8.84% | 9.17% | 3.73% |
| Hispanic | 5.87% | 7.69% | 31.01% |
| Black | 3.5% | 4.69% | 34% |
| Two or More Races | 2.53% | 2.21% | -12.65% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.85% | 0.87% | 2.35% |
Leo ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Leo is British & Irish, which comprises 25.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Italian (25.0%) and French & German (16.0%). Additional ancestries include Chinese, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 25.9% |
| Italian | 25.0% |
| French & German | 16.0% |
| Other | 33.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Leo
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Leo have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 56.00% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 56.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 56.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 55.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 55.10% |
What Leo haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Leo is J-L26, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-L26 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-P312 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schaeffer, Fischer, David, Hauser, Solomon, Simon, Hoffman, Smith, Cooper, Wolff.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Leo surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Leo have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Leo" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Leo" Surname 24.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Leo" Surname 26.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Leo" Surname 15.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Leo?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Leo are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition