Show ContentsLeath History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Leath family

The surname Leath was first found in the county of Edinburgh at Leith, a burgh and sea-port town. "This place, which is of considerable antiquity, formerly belonged to the abbey of Holyrood, and, in a charter of David I. to the monks of that establishment, is noticed under the designation of Inverleith, from its position near the influx of the river or Water of Leith into the Frith of Forth." [1]

Early History of the Leath family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leath research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leath History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leath Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Leith, Leyth, Lethe and others.

Early Notables of the Leath family

More information is included under the topic Early Leath Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leath Ranking

In the United States, the name Leath is the 5,984th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [2]


United States Leath migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leath Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Leath, who arrived in Virginia in 1699 [3]
Leath Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Leath, who arrived in Virginia in 1721 [3]
  • John Leath, who landed in Virginia in 1722 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Leath (post 1700) +

  • Steven Leath, American academic, 15th President of Iowa State University (2012-)
  • Vaughn De Leath (1894-1943), born Leonore Vonderlieth, American female singer, often called "The Original Radio Girl" and "First Lady of Radio"
  • James Marvin Leath (1931-2000), American politician, U.S. Representative from Texas
  • James Marvin Leath (1931-2000), American Democratic Party politician, Country musician; Banker; U.S. Representative from Texas 11th District, 1979-91 [4]


The Leath Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Trustie to the end
Motto Translation: Trustworthy to the end


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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