Leo Family History

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Leo Name Meaning

Southern Italian: nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, from Latin leo ‘lion’. Italian: from a short form of the personal name Pantaleo. Jewish: from the personal name Leo (from Latin leo ‘lion’), borrowed from Christians as an equivalent of Hebrew Yehuda (see Leib 3). English: from the Old French personal name Leon ‘lion’ (see Lyon 2). Spanish: variant or derivative of the personal name Leon. Dutch: from Latin leo ‘lion’, applied either a nickname for a strong or fearless man or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a lion; or alternatively from a personal name of the same derivation. German and Hungarian (Leó): Latinized form of Löwe (see Loewe).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Leon, Lew, Lio, Ley, Leu, Lee, Feo, Leos, Len, Loo

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Leo Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Leo name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Leo. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    25%

  • Italy

    22%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    15%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    5%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Leo Family Origin

Where is the Leo family from?

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You can see how Leo families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Leo family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Leo families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 69 Leo families living in British Columbia. This was about 31% of all the recorded Leo's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Leo families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Leo surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Leo

Leo Family Occupations

What did your Leo ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Attendant and Dressmaker were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Leo. A less common occupation for the Leo family was Labourer. The most common Leo occupation in Canada was Farmer. 25% of Leo's were Farmers.

View Census data for Leo | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    25%

  • Attendant

    8%

  • Dressmaker

    8%

  • Labourer

    8%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Leo ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Leo Historical Records

What Leo family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 47,000 census records available for the last name Leo. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Leo census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Leo

Passenger List

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Leo. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Leo. For the veterans among your Leo ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Leo military records

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Leo Life Expectancy

What is the average Leo lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Leo life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Leo in 1944 was 45, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Leo

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Leo ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Leo Family Ancestors

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