2000
#51,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Leben
A German surname meaning "life" or "lively".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 421 Americans carry the last name Leben. That puts it at #59,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 814,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leben surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
421
1 in 814,143
Census rank
#59,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
367
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 367 bearers of the surname Leben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leben, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leben
The surname "Leben" is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "lebōn," which means "to live" or "to be alive." This surname likely originated in the 12th or 13th century in various regions of German-speaking Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Leben" can be found in medieval records from Bavaria and Swabia, where it was sometimes spelled as "Laben" or "Leber." One notable figure with this surname was Johann Leben, a 15th-century German scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg (c. 1435 - c. 1506).
In the 16th century, the surname "Leben" appeared in various town and village records throughout southern Germany, indicating its spread across the region. One example is Hans Leben, a farmer from the village of Steinbach in Württemberg, who was mentioned in a land registry document from 1572.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname "Leben" gained some prominence in the German-speaking world. Johann Gottfried Leben (1671-1732) was a German composer and organist from Saxony, known for his contributions to church music. Another notable figure was Johann Friedrich Leben (1737-1806), a German jurist and legal scholar from Hesse.
As German emigrants began to spread across Europe and North America in the 19th century, the surname "Leben" traveled with them. Carl Leben (1819-1892) was a German-American engineer and inventor who settled in Philadelphia and is credited with developing some early designs for streetcars and elevated railroads.
In more recent times, the name "Leben" has been associated with individuals from various fields. Gerhard Leben (1880-1965) was a German army officer and military theorist who served in both World Wars. Robert Leben (1920-2001) was an American lawyer and judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
While these examples highlight some notable individuals with the surname "Leben," it is important to note that the name has been carried by countless families and individuals throughout history, each with their own unique stories and contributions to their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leben
Among Census respondents with the surname Leben, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Leben bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Leben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 290
- Black or African American13.1% · 48
- Two or more races2.7% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leben
Leben appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#57,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
-24 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 5,830 places
2020
#59,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 367
+14 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,873 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,809 | 377 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,639 | 353 | 0.12 | -24 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 5,830 places |
| 2020 | #59,512 | 367 | 0.12 | +14 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,873 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Leben surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #57,639 | #59,512 | -3.2% |
| Count | 353 | 367 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leben bearers went from 353 to 367 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 1,873 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,639 to #59,512.
FAQ
Leben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leben?
Name Census estimates that about 421 living Americans carry the surname Leben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 814,143 residents.
How common is Leben?
Leben ranks #59,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 367 people with the surname Leben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leben.
Has Leben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leben went from 353 recorded bearers to 367. That is an increase of 14 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,639 to #59,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Leben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leben, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.0%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Leben (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Leben mean?
A German surname meaning "life" or "lively". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Leben (0.12 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Leben?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.