Find out how popular the last name Leber is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Leber.

Leber, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Leber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leber in America

Leber is the 11079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leber surname appeared 2,865 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Leber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leber to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Leber

The surname Leber is of German origin, derived from the German word "Leber" meaning "liver". It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked with livers, possibly a butcher or a doctor.

The name can be traced back to the early 13th century in regions of southern Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a medieval manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, dating back to around 1230.

During the Middle Ages, the name Leber appeared in various town and village records across southern Germany. For example, a Johannes Leber was mentioned in a document from the town of Esslingen near Stuttgart in 1349.

In the 15th century, the name Leber was found in the records of the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg), where a Hans Leber was recorded as a resident in 1487. Another notable early bearer of the name was Peter Leber, a clergyman and author from the town of Tübingen, who lived from 1499 to 1564.

As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Leber, Leeber, Lepper, and Leber. In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Ulm, where a family of physicians and surgeons bore the surname Leber.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Leber was Johann Michael Leber, a German astronomer and mathematician born in 1661 in Nuremberg. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published works on astronomical observations.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Johann Georg Leber, a German composer and organist who lived from 1661 to 1719. He served as the court organist in Nuremberg and composed numerous organ works and sacred music.

In the 19th century, Johann Baptist Leber, born in 1807 in Würzburg, Germany, was a renowned historian and archivist who published extensively on the history of medieval Germany.

The surname Leber also found its way to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland, where it was sometimes spelled as Leber or Läber.

Throughout its history, the name Leber has remained closely associated with its German roots and occupational origins, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and traditions of southern Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leber

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Leber.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Leber was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Leber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Leber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leber, please contact us.

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