2000
#7,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Lechner
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "lechenaere," meaning "one who heals or treats illnesses."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,308 Americans carry the last name Lechner. That puts it at #8,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lechner 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
4.3K
1 in 79,562
Census rank
#8,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,757 bearers of the surname Lechner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lechner
The surname Lechner originated in Germany, emerging in the medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "lache," meaning a small stream or brook, and the suffix "-ner," indicating a person or place. This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific location near a small stream or from an individual who lived near such a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lechner can be found in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt, where a certain Konrad Lechner was mentioned in a document dated 1296. The name also appeared in various other areas of southern Germany, such as Swabia and the Palatinate region, during the 14th and 15th centuries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Lechner was Hans Lechner (1480-1542), a German painter and stained glass artist from Nuremberg. His works can be found in several churches and museums across Bavaria and Saxony.
Another historically significant individual with this surname was Johann Lechner (1564-1624), a German organist and composer from the late Renaissance period. He served as the court organist in Stuttgart and composed numerous sacred and secular works, many of which were published during his lifetime.
The name Lechner also appeared in various historical records and documents across Central Europe, such as the Urbarialbücher (manorial records) of various regions in Austria and the Gerichtsbücher (court records) of parts of Switzerland.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Johann Lechner (1820-1897), an Austrian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister-President of Cisleithania (the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) from 1868 to 1870.
Another notable individual with the surname Lechner was Karl Lechner (1857-1930), an Austrian architect and professor at the Technische Hochschule in Vienna. He designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Evangelische Pfarrkirche and the Amalienbad public baths.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lechner
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lechner 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 Lechner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,461
- Two or more races3.2% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lechner
Lechner 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
#7,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,149
+57 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 466 places
2020
#8,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,757
-392 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 466 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,506 | 4,092 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,972 | 4,149 | 1.41 | +57 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 466 places |
| 2020 | #8,438 | 3,757 | 1.26 | -392 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 466 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 Lechner 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 | #7,972 | #8,438 | -5.8% |
| Count | 4,149 | 3,757 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.26 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lechner bearers went from 4,149 to 3,757 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 466 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,972 to #8,438.
FAQ
Lechner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lechner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,308 living Americans carry the surname Lechner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,562 residents.
How common is Lechner?
Lechner ranks #8,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,757 people with the surname Lechner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lechner.
Has Lechner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lechner went from 4,149 recorded bearers to 3,757. That is a decrease of 392 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,972 to #8,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Lechner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lechner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,461 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lechner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lechner (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 Lechner mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "lechenaere," meaning "one who heals or treats illnesses." 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 Lechner (1.26 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 are called Lechner?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Lechner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.