Contents [hide]

Leech History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Leech History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Leech is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a doctor. Throughout the Middle Ages, doctors were known as "leaches" as the practice of bleeding sick people was the generally accepted manner of curing them. There are countless people in the Middle Ages who died thanks to the common cold; not because the virus killed them, but because they bled to death on the advice of their physicians. Bleeding was accomplished by placing a dozen or so leaches on the person who was ill so that they could remove the poisons that were making them ill, hence the name "leach" for the occupation of doctor. It is small wonder that illness was so feared in the medieval period; many people died from illnesses that would not have otherwise killed them because their doctors were weakening them through loss of blood.

Since the 1970s, Hirudo medicinalis, better known as the European medicinal leech has been routinely used to drain blood after reconstructive surgery, particularly in finger reattachment and reconstructive surgery of the ear, nose, lip, and eyelid.

Early Origins of the Leech family

The surname Leech was first found in Oxfordshire where the earliest records of the family were found as Edmund le Leche and William le Leche who were both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. A few years later, Robert le Leche was listed in the Writs of Parliament of 1307. 1

Further north in Scotland, many records were found including: Henry Leche held a tenement in Glasgow in 1325. "Henry Leche, is later referred to in a safe conduct by Edward III of England in 1348 as "Hector medicus David de Bruys." From another reference to him in 1369, he turns out to be a MacBeth, perhaps one of the family of hereditary doctors of that name so famous in West Highland history. Wilham de Lech or Leche was burgess of Aberdeen, 1362. He may be William Leche, merchant of Aberdeen, whose goods were plundered in England, 1370, when his ship was driven ashore in Kirklee Rode, Suffolk." 2 They also settled in Monteith where they gave their name to Leitchtown.

Early History of the Leech family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leech research. Another 431 words (31 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1363, 1367, 1372, 1386, 1421, 1429, 1440, 1452, 1466, 1484, 1487, 1500, 1511, 1520, 1550, 1580, 1587, 1624, 1638, 1639, 1666, 1767, 1779 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Leech History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leech Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Leech family name include Leach, Leech, Leche, Leitch, Leich, Leetch and others.

Early Notables of the Leech family

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

Leech Ranking

In the United States, the name Leech is the 5,053^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Leech family to Ireland

Some of the Leech family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leech migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Leech or a variant listed above:

Leech Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Millicent Leech, aged 28, who arrived in Isla de Providencia in 1635 aboard the ship "Expectation" 4
Jon Leech, who landed in Virginia in 1636 4
Mark Leech, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 4
Stephen Leech, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 4
Peter Leech, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leech Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Leech, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 4
Duncan Leech, who arrived in New York in 1740 4
Mary Leech, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 4
Robert Leech, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 4

Leech Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Leech, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 4
Sarah Leech, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
Malcolm Leech, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
Andrew Leech, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4
Andrew Leech, who came from Ireland to New York in 1816
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leech migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leech Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Leech, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mrs. Catharine Leech U.E. (née) Reid, Widowed Munro who settled in Quebec c. 1782, in 1789 granted land in Augusta, Ontario, relocated to 1803 to Front of Yonge Township, Leeds & Grenville, Ontarioher husband Mr John Munro was murdered and family was taken prisoner, transported from New York with 8 children in the fall of 1782 5
Mr. Thomas Leech U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5

Leech Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. James Leech, aged 56 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Free Trader" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 6
W Leech, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862

Leech migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Leech Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Daniel Leech, (b. 1760), aged 33, Irish convict who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Boddingtons" on 15th February 1793, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7

Leech Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Leech, British convict who was convicted in Beaumont Saint-Cyr (Beaucont), Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. George Leech, British Convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Leech, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. George Leech, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
David Leech, English convict from Worcester, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leech migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Leech Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Leech, British settler travelling from London via Plymouth aboard the ship "Tasmania" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on to Lyttelton on 26th February 1853 13
Mr. John Leech, British settler travelling from London via Plymouth aboard the ship "Tasmania" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on to Lyttelton on 26th February 1853, listed as for Lyttelton 13
Mrs. Leech, (b. 1826), aged 27, British settler travelling from London via Plymouth aboard the ship "Tasmania" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on to Lyttelton on 26th February 1853, listed as for Lyttelton 13
Mr. A. Leech, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lord Ashley" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th October 1858 14
Mr. John Leech, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Nourmahal" arriving in Dunedin, Otaga, South Island, New Zealand on 5th May 1858 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leech migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15

Leech Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Richard Leech, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Leech (post 1700) +

Margaret Kernochan Leech (1893-1974), also known as Margaret Pulitzer, an American author and historian, who won two Pulitzer Prizes in history
James Russell Leech (1888-1952), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Geoffrey Neil Leech (1936-2014), English specialist in English language and linguistics
John Leech (1817-1864), English caricaturist
Allen Leech (b. 1981), Irish three-time Screen Actors Guild Award winning stage, television and film actor, best known for his role as Tom Branson on Downton Abbey and as Paul Prenter in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Mrs. Rosemary Frances Leech M.B.E., British Inspector for Police Service of Northern Ireland. was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Policing and to the community in Northern Ireland 17
Kenneth Leech (1939-2015), British Anglican priest and Christian socialist
John Leech (1934-2009), co-founder of the Onyx Cafe
John Leech (1926-1992), British mathematician, discoverer of the Leech Lattice
Faith Yvonne Leech (b. 1941), former Australian Olympic freestyle swimmer

Historic Events for the Leech family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. T. Leech, English First Junior 3rd Engineer from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 18

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 39)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/boddingtons
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/