Leathers
Likely from an old personal name, with the -s spelling probably marking “son of Leather/Lethar.”
The #6,457 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,708 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is probably connected with an old personal name, Lethar or Leather, rather than the material leather. One 19th-century source notes an early bearer named Lethar and treats later forms such as Leathers as related surname forms. The final -s is often used in English surnames to mean “son of” or “family of,” though the exact development here is not completely certain.
History
The name appears in historical surname discussions as an English family name with medieval roots. It may also be linked to local surnames built from the same old personal name, such as Leatherby and Leatherhead. The evidence in the excerpted sources is brief, so the surname’s exact pathway into modern use is still somewhat uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Despite its spelling, the surname is not necessarily connected to the trade in hides or tanning—an old personal name may be the real source.
From the historical record
“farshire are called Letham. LEATHER. LEATHERS. An ancient personal name. One Lethar was a bishop intlie days of .Ethelbert. Cod. Dipl. 981. Hence the local surnames, Leatlierby, Lea- therdale, Leatherhcad, and Leatherbarrow.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom