Explore the Family Name Leonard
The meaning of Leonard
1. English; French (Léonard); Walloon (mainly Léonard): from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements leo ‘lion’ (a late addition to the vocabulary of ancient Germanic name elements, taken from Latin) + hard ‘hardy, brave, strong’, which was taken to England by the Normans. A Christian saint of this name, who is supposed to have lived in the 6th century, but about whom nothing is known except for a largely fictional life dating from half a millennium later, was popular throughout Europe in the early Middle Ages and was regarded as the patron of peasants and horses. In North America, the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages, e.g. Italian Leonardo, Polish, Slovenian, etc. Lenart or Lenard, and probably also their derivatives. Compare Larned, Learned, and Yenor. 2. Irish (Fermanagh): adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic Mac Giolla Fhionáin or of Langan. 3. German: variant of Leonhard, cognate with 1 above.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Leonard in the United States?
The surname Leonard, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has seen a slight decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 308th most common, but by 2010 had slipped to 338th, representing a 9.74% decrease in rank. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual number of individuals bearing the surname Leonard increased by 2.55%, growing from 89,198 in 2000 to 91,475 in 2010. However, when adjusted for population growth, the proportion of Leonards per 100,000 people declined from 33.07 in 2000 to 31.01 in 2010, indicating a decrease of 6.23%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #308 | #338 | -9.74% |
| Count | 89,198 | 91,475 | 2.55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 33.07 | 31.01 | -6.23% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Leonard
In terms of ethnic identity, the surname Leonard is most commonly associated with Whites, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 82.59% of those with the surname identified as White, decreasing slightly to 80.38% in 2010. The percentage of people identifying as Black with this surname increased from 13.14% in 2000 to 14.07% in 2010. Additionally, there was an evident growth in the Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander groups, with increases of 38.29% and 31.11% respectively over the decade. Meanwhile, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group saw a minor rise of 2.67% within the same period. The group identifying with two or more races also grew considerably from 1.32% in 2000 to 1.77% in 2010, marking a change of 34.09%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 82.59% | 80.38% | -2.68% |
| Black | 13.14% | 14.07% | 7.08% |
| Hispanic | 1.75% | 2.42% | 38.29% |
| Two or More Races | 1.32% | 1.77% | 34.09% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.75% | 0.77% | 2.67% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.59% | 31.11% |
Leonard 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 Leonard is British & Irish, which comprises 49.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.1%) and Eastern European (4.9%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.2% |
| French & German | 23.1% |
| Eastern European | 4.9% |
| Other | 22.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Leonard
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 Leonard have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 81.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 81.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 81.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.20% |
What Leonard 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 Leonard is J-L70, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-L70 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and I-S18331, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Paul, Young, Clark, Adams, Gray, Taylor, Brown, Robertson, Miller.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Leonard surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Leonard 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.
"Leonard" Surname 41.8%
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.
"Leonard" Surname 27.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Leonard" Surname 21.1%
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.
"Leonard" Surname 17.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Leonard?
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 Leonard are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition