Last Names

Surnames / L

Leighton

How common is the last name Leighton?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Leighton, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Names nearby in the census

#4,222

Leighton was the 4,222nd most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 8,399 people, about 2.7 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)92.0%
  • Hispanic or Latino2.4%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)2.1%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander0.6%
  • Two or more races1.7%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native1.2%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.