The Leahy surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,014 people carried this name — #3,280 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 26,800 people counted. That is up 5% from 10,515 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Leahy surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Laochda (“descendant of Laochda”), a personal name derived from laoch (“hero”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Leahy» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 105 births for the Leahy name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 6 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 82
Leinster 13
Ulster 7
Connacht 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Leahy in American newspapers,
1899–1942.

Newspaper page from The Pioche Weekly Record carrying the name Leahy
The Pioche Weekly Record 1899-02-02
Newspaper page from Blue-Grass Blade carrying the name Leahy
Blue-Grass Blade 1909-09-05
Newspaper page from L'Araldo = The Herald carrying the name Leahy
L'Araldo = The Herald 1942-12-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 94,813 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Leahy in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

75,334 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leahy. The most, 19,449, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 35,073
New South Wales 16,988
Victoria 9,325
South Australia 8,112
Western Australia 4,483
Tasmania 602
ACT (Canberra) 139
Northern Territory 78

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leahy.

Who carried it

People named Leahy,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Edward Leahy
    Edward Leahy 1797–1875 · painter
  • Patrick Leahy
    Patrick Leahy 1806–1875 · Catholic priest
  • John Leahy
    John Leahy 1854–1909 · politician
  • Patrick Leahy
    Patrick Leahy 1860–1927 · politician
  • Tom Leahy
    Tom Leahy 1869–1951 · baseball player

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Patrick Leahy: Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 186 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Leahy,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,993 records

3,993 records of the Leahy name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,298
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,244
  • Other U.S. records 1,451
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Michael Leahy

    Born 1949; from Roosevelt, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, assaultman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William J. Leahy

    Born 1899 in Connecticut. Enlisted 1942 at Hartford; stock clerk from New London County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jessie Leahy

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 19; house maid. From Mayne, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,993 records for Leahy in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,357 records

1,357 records of the Leahy name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 507
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 344
  • Other Australian records 506
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Leahy

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tory, sailing from London in 1848. Native of Cornwall. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maud Leahy

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Austral, aged 3; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Patrick Frances Leahy

    Farmer of Congupna, Victoria; died 1970.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,357 records for Leahy in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada294 records

294 records of the Leahy name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 272
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 12
  • Other Canadian records 10
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Leahy

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 33; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Thomas William Leahy

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johana Leahy

    Died 1950 in Trenton, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 294 records for Leahy in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand23 records

23 records of the Leahy name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 20
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Matilda Jane Leahy

    Died 1965, aged 83; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rex Herman Leahy

    Died 2001, aged 84; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Leahy

    Died 1887, aged 30; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 23 records for Leahy in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom10 records

10 records of the Leahy name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 8
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record David Leahy

    Died 1982, aged 83; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. Leahy

    Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Leahy

    Died 1973, aged 66; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Leahy in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland6 records

6 records of the Leahy name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Leahy

    Died 1955, aged 82; buried at Abbeygormican, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Leahy

    Died 1857; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Leahy

    Died 1989, aged 73; buried at Abbeygormican, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Leahy in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Leahy.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leahy is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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