Leoben
A male given name of Germanic origin meaning "brave as a lion".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Leoben. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leoben today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leoben births was 2012 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leoben. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leoben. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2012
5 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2012 SSA rank
#13,425
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Leoben: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Leoben by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leoben during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Leoben
The name Leoben has its roots in the Germanic languages, particularly in Old High German. It is a compound name derived from two elements: "lewo" meaning "lion" and "bern" meaning "bear." Thus, the name Leoben can be interpreted to mean "lion bear" or "brave as a lion and strong as a bear."
This name was popular during the medieval period, particularly in regions that are now modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Its use can be traced back to the 8th and 9th centuries, when it was often given to children in honor of their strength and courage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leoben can be found in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th-century manuscript from the Abbey of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The manuscript contains a list of names, including Leoben, which suggests its usage during that time period.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Leoben of Bamberg was a prominent nobleman and advisor to Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire. He played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy, a power struggle between the Pope and the Emperor over the appointment of bishops.
Another notable bearer of the name was Leoben of Andernach, a 12th-century German monk and chronicler. He is best known for his work, the Chronicon Leodiense, which documented the history of the bishopric of Liège from the 4th to the 12th century.
In the 13th century, Leoben of Worms was a respected Jewish scholar and author of the Sefer Ha-Lekah, a collection of Talmudic commentary and biblical exegesis.
During the 16th century, Leoben Hutter was a prominent Anabaptist leader and theologian in Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic). He played a significant role in the development of the Hutterite religious movement, which still exists today.
While the name Leoben has fallen out of common usage in modern times, it remains a unique and historically significant name with deep roots in the Germanic cultural heritage.
People
Leoben + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leoben as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leoben: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leoben?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leoben going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Leoben a common name?
We classify Leoben as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leoben most popular?
The single biggest year for Leoben was 2012, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leoben is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leoben in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leoben a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leoben in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leoben still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leoben in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leoben can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Leoben as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Leoben, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.