The Leeper surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,593 people carried this name — #5,281 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 44,600 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,400 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Leeper surname

English surname from both senses of leap: the verb (sense 1), and the noun leap (“basket”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Leeper» (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 a nickname: ‘the leper’.

His entry covers Leeper and Leaper.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 476 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

18 families named Leeper, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 123 people lived in those households, 6.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 13
New York 2
North Carolina 2
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 249 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Leeper in American newspapers,
1906.

Newspaper page from The Southern Sentinel carrying the name Leeper
The Southern Sentinel 1906-08-17
Newspaper page from The Southern Sentinel carrying the name Leeper
The Southern Sentinel 1906-10-12
Newspaper page from The Southern Sentinel carrying the name Leeper
The Southern Sentinel 1906-10-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 34,962 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Leeper in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1960s.

5,311 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leeper. The most, 1,028, 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 Queensland, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 2,263
Victoria 1,913
New South Wales 799
South Australia 137
Western Australia 115
Tasmania 64
ACT (Canberra) 12
Northern Territory 4

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

Who carried it

People named Leeper,
with a public archive behind them.

  • David R. Leeper
    David R. Leeper 1832–1900 · politician
  • Alexander Leeper
    Alexander Leeper 1848–1934
  • Arthur A. Leeper
    Arthur A. Leeper 1855–1931 · lawyer
  • Allen Leeper 1887–1935 · diplomat
  • Valentine Leeper 1900–2001 · non-fiction writer
  • Charles Kendal Leeper 1923–2016 · mechanical engineer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Leeper,
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 States449 records

449 records of the Leeper name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 252
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 108
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 29
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 26
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 10
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Grady A. Leeper

    Born 1917 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1942 at Phoenix, Arizona; route man from Maricopa County, Arizona. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1992, buried at Fort Smith National Cemetery, Arkansas.

    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 Omalia Leeper

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Ethiopia from Glasgow and Moville, aged 23; housekeeper. From Hamburg, Poland, Russia; bound for New York.

    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 Gene N. Leeper

    Born 1930; from Lake County, Indiana. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1953 in North Korea.

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

Showing 3 of 449 records for Leeper in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · 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). 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).

Australia91 records

91 records of the Leeper name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 62
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 15
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 6
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 6
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  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 Andrew Leeper

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Buffalo, sailing from Quebec in 1839.

    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 Richd J. Leeper

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Darling Downs, aged 25; 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 Valentine Alexa Leeper

    Gentlewoman of South Yarra, Victoria; died 2001.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 91 records for Leeper in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada5 records

5 records of the Leeper name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Neville Dermot Leeper

    Died 1947; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  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 Robert Arthur Leeper

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William T. Leeper

    Married 1902 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 5 records for Leeper 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Leeper name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. S. Leeper

    King's Royal Rifle Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Leeper

    Highland Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Leeper name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Emil Leeper

    From Sklovienen, Niederung. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 19 January 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 41).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Leeper in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Leeper 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 Charles-Henry Leeper

    Born 1914 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Cergy (Val-d'Oise).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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 Leeper.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leeper 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 Leeper volume
Scroll to Top