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Irish surname

Leigh: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Léigh; Mac Laoidhigh; Mac an Leagha · Woulfe gives three origins: de Léigh (Middle English 'atte Lea', at the meadow); Mac Laoidhigh ('son of Laoidheach', poetic); Mac an Leagha ('son of the physician')

Woulfe (1923) lists Leigh among the forms of three different names: de Léigh, from Middle English 'atte Lea' ('at the meadow'), a family that came to Ireland about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion; Mac Laoidhigh, 'the name of an old family in Leix'; and Mac an Leagha, 'son of the physician'. Matheson records 8 Leigh birth entries in Ireland for 1890, all in Leinster.

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Coat of arms associated with the Leigh surname
Irish formde Léigh; Mac Laoidhigh; Mac an Leagha
MeaningWoulfe gives three origins: de Léigh (Middle English 'atte Lea', at the meadow); Mac Laoidhigh ('son of Laoidheach', poetic); Mac an Leagha ('son of the physician')
CountiesMeath, Kildare, Kilkenny
Other spellings2
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Leigh crest gifts

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Origin of the Leigh name

Woulfe: de Léigh is a settler name from residence at a meadow, the family coming 'about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion' and settling in Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, etc.; Mac Laoidhigh is 'the name of an old family in Leix'; Mac an Leagha, 'son of the physician', had several scattered families.[1][2][3]

  1. 18908 Leigh birth entries in Ireland, all in Leinster.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. MeathWoulfe: the de Léigh family settled in Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, etc.[3]
Co. KildareWoulfe: the de Léigh family settled in Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, etc.[3]
Co. KilkennyWoulfe: the de Léigh family settled in Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, etc.[3]

Other spellings

Lee · Lea[1][2][3][5]

The Leigh coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Leigh surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Leigh surname: questions

What does the surname Leigh mean?

Woulfe gives three origins for Leigh: de Léigh, from Middle English 'atte Lea', at the meadow; Mac Laoidhigh, 'son of Laoidheach' (poetic); and Mac an Leagha, 'son of the physician'.[1][2][3]

Is Leigh an Irish or English surname?

Both. Woulfe derives de Léigh from Middle English 'atte Lea' (at the meadow), and says that family came to Ireland about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in Meath, Kildare and Kilkenny. He also lists Leigh among the anglicised forms of two Gaelic names, Mac Laoidhigh and Mac an Leagha.[1][2][3]

Is Leigh the same as Lee?

Woulfe lists Lee and Leigh together under each of the three entries, and Matheson's 1901 list prints Leigh under Lee.[1][2][3][5]

Sources

  1. Mac an Leagha — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-an-leagha.php
  2. Mac Laoidhigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macl/mac-laoidhigh.php
  3. de Léigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-leigh.php
  4. Leigh — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/leigh.php
  5. Lee — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1083.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).