The Leggett surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,977 people carried this name — #2,777 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,700 people counted. That is up 5% from 12,406 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Leggett surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the lidgate’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Geoffrey le Legat, Devon, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Leggett and Leggott.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 477 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 36 people named Leggett.

2 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Nord.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 2
Nord 30
Paris 2
Hérault 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

Leggett was found among the farmers of Lincolnshire: 10 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. His list gives one count for the spellings Leggett and Leggott.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lincolnshire 10

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 the first U.S. census, 1790

87 families named Leggett, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 507 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 14 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

North Carolina 25
Pennsylvania 19
New York 17
South Carolina 9
Maryland 6
Virginia 6
Massachusetts 5

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

Leggett in American newspapers,
1880–1915.

Newspaper page from Batesville Guard carrying the name Leggett
Batesville Guard 1880-09-08
Newspaper page from The Little River News carrying the name Leggett
The Little River News 1915-09-29
Newspaper page from Bisbee Daily Review carrying the name Leggett
Bisbee Daily Review 1908-08-01

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

In print

Leggett in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

12,255 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leggett. The most, 2,791, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,386
Victoria 3,281
Queensland 2,101
South Australia 1,491
Tasmania 1,065
Western Australia 838
ACT (Canberra) 65
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Leggett,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Hannah S. Leggett
    Hannah S. Leggett 1781–1878
  • William Leggett
    William Leggett 1801–1839 · writer
  • Eliza Seaman Leggett
    Eliza Seaman Leggett 1815–1900 · suffragette
  • Mortimer Dormer Leggett
    Mortimer Dormer Leggett 1821–1896 · writer
  • Mary Elizabeth Leggett 1805–1899
  • Charlotte Fox Leggett 1810–1888

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 Leggett,
in the records of 7 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 Leggett name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 437
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 224
  • Other U.S. records 402
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Earl G. Leggett

    Born 1919 in Kansas. Enlisted 1942 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; aircraft worker from Cherokee County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Park Cemetery, Columbus, Kansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Franklin Oneil Leggett

    Born 1949; from Fayetteville, North Carolina. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record George Leggett

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Spain from Liverpool, aged 34; miner. From Middlesboro, England; bound for New York.

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

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

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia354 records

354 records of the Leggett name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 160
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 70
  • Other Australian records 124
  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 Lilias Leggett

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from Portsmouth in 1846. Native of Ayr, Ayrshire.

    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 Ruth Leggett

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Persian, aged 27; 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 John H. Leggett

    Labourer of Moonee Ponds, Victoria; died 1948.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 354 records for Leggett 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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (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).

Canada52 records

52 records of the Leggett name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 28
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 7
  • Other Canadian records 17
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Herbert Leggett

    Killed in 1948 at the Springhill No. 2 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alfred Leggett

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Nestorian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ida Mae Leggett

    Buried in 1982 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 63.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 52 records for Leggett 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); 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).

New Zealand21 records

21 records of the Leggett name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 18
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elsie Merle Leggett

    Died 1970, aged 65; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 Victor Acton Leggett

    Died 1987, aged 64; 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 James Leggett

    Buried in 1898 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 45.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Leggett in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel 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 Kingdom20 records

20 records of the Leggett name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 17
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Leggett

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 44.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. 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 Alexander Leggett

    Died 1918. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (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 H. Leggett

    Lancashire Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 20 records for Leggett in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). 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).

France16 records

16 records of the Leggett 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 Christiane Louisette Leggett

    Born 1932 in Valenciennes; died 1999 in Valenciennes (Nord).

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

    Born 1924 in Anzin; died 2001 in Grande-Synthe (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Albert Leggett

    Born 1916 in Valenciennes; died 1976 in Fresnes-sur-Escaut (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Leggett 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).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Leggett name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Albert Edward Leggett

    Died 1923 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 40.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ronald Arthur Noël Leggett

    Married in 1948 in Tilburg.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Leggett.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leggett 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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