2000
#104,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Lechliter
An occupational surname for a miller or miller's helper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Lechliter. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lechliter 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Lechliter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechliter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lechliter
The surname LECHLITER is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the German word "Leche," which means "a small stream or brook." This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic surname, referring to individuals who lived near a small stream or watercourse.
One of the earliest known references to the LECHLITER surname can be found in the records of the town of Reutlingen, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In a document dated 1579, a certain Hans LECHLITER is mentioned as a resident of the town.
In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the LECHLITER name appears in various church records and tax rolls in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. These records often show variations in the spelling, such as LECHLEDER, LECHLIEDER, and LECHLEDERER.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, some members of the LECHLITER family migrated to other parts of Europe, and the name can be found in records from countries like Switzerland, Austria, and France. One notable individual from this period was Johann LECHLITER (1665-1732), a Protestant clergyman and writer who served as a pastor in the town of Ansbach, Germany.
In the 19th century, as emigration from Germany to other parts of the world increased, the LECHLITER surname began to appear in records from countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States can be found in the 1820 census, where a Samuel LECHLITER is listed as living in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the LECHLITER surname include:
1. Wilhelm LECHLITER (1805-1872), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscape and architectural works.
2. Henrietta LECHLITER (1845-1919), an American educator and women's rights activist who founded one of the first schools for African American children in Charleston, West Virginia.
3. Franz LECHLITER (1880-1956), an Austrian architect who designed several prominent buildings in Vienna and other cities in the early 20th century.
4. Gertrude LECHLITER (1895-1978), an American author and poet who wrote several books on nature and outdoor life.
5. Ernst LECHLITER (1920-2005), a German-born American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early computer systems and data storage technologies.
While the LECHLITER surname may have originated as a topographic name, it has since become a proud part of the cultural heritage of many families around the world, each with their own unique stories and histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lechliter
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechliter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lechliter 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 Lechliter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lechliter
Lechliter 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-29 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,560 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104,819 | 158 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 26,560 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,670 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 Lechliter 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 | #131,379 | #142,049 | -8.1% |
| Count | 129 | 120 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lechliter bearers went from 129 to 120 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #142,049.
FAQ
Lechliter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lechliter?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Lechliter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Lechliter?
Lechliter ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Lechliter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lechliter.
Has Lechliter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lechliter went from 129 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Lechliter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechliter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Lechliter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lechliter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Lechliter (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 Lechliter mean?
An occupational surname for a miller or miller's helper. 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 Lechliter (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Lechliter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.