Show ContentsLeachman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Leachman

What does the name Leachman mean?

The Leachman surname is derived from the Old English word "laece" meaning "leech," and indicating "one who used leeches to let blood," that is, a blood-letter or physician. 1

Early Origins of the Leachman family

The surname Leachman was first found in Stirlingshire where they held a family seat. The deep roots of the name appear to be in an area around Falkirk and there are many early recordings of the name although it is also recorded in Lanarkshire with the early spelling of Leechman was a sobriquet for a doctor. In fact, there is a claim on record of one Leechman who held many estates and who was Medicus Regis, the King's Leech, and, it is intimated, was the ancestor of the all the Leechmans. Oddly, in their later border relationships, the Leishmans became more oriented toward the clergy. William Leischman was prior of Fogo in 1465. 2

Early History of the Leachman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leachman research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1435, 1550 and 1644 are included under the topic Early Leachman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leachman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Leechman, Leishman, Leeshman, Leischman, Leisman, Leachman, Leychman, Leighchman, Liechman, Leesman and many more.

Early Notables of the Leachman family

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

Leachman Ranking

In the United States, the name Leachman is the 13,019th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3


Leachman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leachman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alice Leachman, aged 30, who settled in America from Hereford, in 1903
  • Child Leachman, aged infant, who immigrated to the United States from Hereford, in 1903
  • Lewis Leachman, aged 0, who landed in America from Hereford, in 1903
  • Edward Claude Leachman, aged 34, who landed in America from London, in 1905
  • Charles S. Leachman, aged 21, who settled in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leachman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leachman Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Charles Leachman, aged 26, who landed in Cochrane, Canada, in 1912

Leachman 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. 4
Leachman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. James Leachman, aged 22 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Leachman (post 1700) +

  • Cloris Leachman (1926-2021), American actress of stage, film and television, winner of eight prime time Emmy Awards, more than any other female performer
  • W. H. Leachman, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1944 6
  • R. Leachman, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, 1866-69 6
  • Neth Leachman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1944 6
  • Drew Leachman (b. 1989), American minor league baseball outfielder
  • Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Gerard Evelyn Leachman CIE, DSO (1880-1920), British soldier and intelligence officer who traveled extensively in Arabia
  • John Leachman (b. 1795), English Church Architect


The Leachman 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: Industriae manus
Motto Translation: The gift of industry.


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. 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)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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