The Leath surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,372 people carried this name — #9,628 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 87,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 3,300 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Leath surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of the lathes’.

An early record he cites: Thomas atte Lathe, rector of Stokesby, Norfolk, 1356 — History of Norfolk (Blomefield and Parkin).

His entry covers Leathes and Leath.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 474 · public domain.

In print

Leath in American newspapers,
1899–1902.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Leath
The Birmingham Age-herald 1902-08-29
Newspaper page from Abendblatt carrying the name Leath
Abendblatt 1899-05-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Leath in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

844 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leath. The most, 170, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 373
Victoria 195
Queensland 120
Western Australia 53
Tasmania 48
South Australia 47
ACT (Canberra) 8

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

Who carried it

People named Leath,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Vaughn De Leath
    Vaughn De Leath 1894–1943 · composer
  • Josiah Leath 1740–1787
  • Rachel Leath 1770– · homemaker
  • Josiah Leath 1770–1850
  • James Leath 1780–1865 · farmer
  • Josiah Leath 1810–1893 · farmer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Leath,
in the records of 4 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 States233 records

233 records of the Leath name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 135
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 43
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 33
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 11
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 7
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 3
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Andrew L. Leath

    Born 1916 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; farm hand from Macon County. U.S. Army veteran; died 1968, buried at Eulia Cemetery, Westmoreland, Tennessee.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1835 aboard the Francis from Greenock, aged 22; farmer. From Scotland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Alfred A. Leath

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1887, died 1965; buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 233 records for Leath in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia15 records

15 records of the Leath name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 5
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 4
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Marion Leath

    Arrived in Queensland in 1928 aboard the Demosthenes, aged 43.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Daniel Leath

    Left Launceston in 1853 aboard the William Hill, bound for Geelong, as crew.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Charles H. Leath

    Of Coburg, Victoria; died 1929.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Leath in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Leath name in the United Kingdom St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Simon Leath

    Buried in 1798 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 52.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Leath

    Buried in 1815 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 55.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 2 of 4 records for Leath in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. 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).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Leath name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas Leath

    Died 1913; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jean Leath

    Married 1945 in New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Marion E. Leath

    Born 1876 in Argyle, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

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

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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Leath.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leath 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.

See the Leath volume
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