Leake
A surname usually taken from place-names in England, especially Leake in Nottinghamshire and other Leake/Leek parishes.
The #5,070 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,649 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Leake is generally a locational surname from one of several English places called Leake, especially East and West Leake in Nottinghamshire. The place-name is usually explained from Old English roots connected with a stream, watercourse, or marshy land, though older surname dictionaries focus mainly on the parish-name origin rather than giving a full linguistic breakdown. In some cases the surname may also have been influenced by spellings associated with Leek, another English place-name.
History
The name is recorded in medieval and early modern England, and 19th-century surname writers particularly link it with Nottinghamshire parishes. The surname also appears in Lincolnshire and other eastern counties, which fits a locational origin spreading from several English place-names. In later centuries it became established in England and then in English-speaking countries such as the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname dictionaries specifically point to East and West Leake in Nottinghamshire as the key place-name source for the surname.
From the historical record
“LEG 190 LEAKE. East and "West Leake are two parishes in co. Notts. LEAL. LEALL. L O. Fr. and Scot., loyal, trustwortl)}-. 2. A corruption of Lisle. LEAN. The Gaelic Mac-Lean, sans Mac. LEANEY. LENEY. Zee?j?/, according to Grose, is active, alert.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom