The Leech surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,099 people carried this name — #6,640 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 57,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,945 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Leech surname

A surname originating as an occupation, derived from the profession leech, a former word for a physician.

As an English surname, variant of Leach.

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the leech’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Edmund le Leche, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Leach, Leech and Leachman.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 473 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 35 births for the Leech name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 7 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 14
Ulster 9
Connacht 8
Munster 4

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

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 21 people named Leech.

8 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 10 départements, most often Yvelines.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 8
Yvelines 2
Seine-Maritime 2
Ardèche 2
Haute-Savoie 1
Pas-de-Calais 1
Loire 1
Indre 1
Somme 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Leech was found among the farmers of Cheshire: 24 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cheshire 24

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Leech in American newspapers,
1902–1920.

Newspaper page from The Somerset Reporter carrying the name Leech
The Somerset Reporter 1902-09-04
Newspaper page from The Dickson County Herald carrying the name Leech
The Dickson County Herald 1916-08-25
Newspaper page from The Daily Gate City And Constitution-democrat carrying the name Leech
The Daily Gate City And Constitution-democrat 1920-10-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,453 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Leech in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

21,760 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leech. The most, 4,669, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 7,209
New South Wales 5,276
South Australia 3,686
Queensland 3,343
Western Australia 1,149
Tasmania 981
ACT (Canberra) 79
Northern Territory 12

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

Who carried it

People named Leech,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Elizabeth Jameson Austin Leech d. 1934
  • Charles Leech d. 1890
  • Elizabeth Leech d. 1883
  • Emily Leech d. 1946
  • Helen Grace Hardman d. 1977
  • John Leech d. 1847 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Leech,
in the records of 8 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 States1,063 records

1,063 records of the Leech name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 372
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 208
  • Other U.S. records 483
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Camp Leech

    Born 1910 in Texas. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Sam Houston; stationary engineer from Wharton County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Garden of Memories, El Campo, Texas.

    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 Bridget Leech

    Arrived at New York in 1857 aboard the Cultivator from Liverpool, aged 20; domestic. From Galway, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Voyd Leech

    Born 1945; from Unionville, Missouri. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,063 records for Leech in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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). 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia813 records

813 records of the Leech name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 415
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 207
  • Other Australian records 191
  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 George Leech

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Kennaway, sailing from Cork in 1834. Native of Thetford, Norfolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838. Married 1838 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record George Arthur Leech

    Born 1870 in Fingal, Tasmania. Married 1896 in Sorell, Tasmania, aged 27.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Phoenix, aged 50; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 813 records for Leech in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada57 records

57 records of the Leech name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 13
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 12
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Irene Leech

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Prussian, bound for Garden River, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charles Harvey Leech

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Valley Albert Leech

    Died 1953 in Berwick, Kings, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 57 records for Leech in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom38 records

38 records of the Leech name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 33
  • Welsh wills index cards 4
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jane Leech

    Will proved in 1903; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth H. Leech

    Buried in 1799 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 79.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. R. Leech

    Gunner, Household Battalion. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 38 records for Leech in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · 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: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); 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).

New Zealand15 records

15 records of the Leech name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 6
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Austin Bell Leech

    Buried in 1941 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 79.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sophia Leech

    Died 1915, aged 37; buried at Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Amy Isabel Leech

    Died 1953; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Leech in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District 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).

Ireland9 records

9 records of the Leech name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Leech

    Died 1987, aged 66; buried at Labane, 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 Mary Leech

    Died 1988, aged 98; buried at Labane, 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 Sarah Leech

    Died 1996, aged 65; buried at Labane, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Leech 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).

Netherlands6 records

6 records of the Leech name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Aeltje Leech

    Married in 1709 in Tienhoven; born in Blauwkapel.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Vecht en Venen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Cornelis Leech

    Married in 1655 in Purmerend.

    Open Archives, Waterlands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Stijntgen Leech

    Buried in 1630 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Leech in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France5 records

5 records of the Leech name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Patrick Henri Jean Leech

    Born 1949 in Privas (Ardèche); died 1997 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Helene Florence Leech

    Born 1907 in Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines); died 1995 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Leech in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Leech.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leech 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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