2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leckinger
A surname derived from a geographic place name, likely from the German region of Leckingen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Leckinger. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leckinger 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Leckinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leckinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leckinger
The surname Leckinger is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "lecken," meaning "to lick" or "to lap," possibly referring to an occupation or a descriptive nickname for an ancestor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Monasterii Sancti Emmerami, a collection of documents from the Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, dating back to the year 1280. This document mentions a "Chunrat der Leckinger," suggesting that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Nuremberg, where it is spelled as "Leckinger" or "Leckinger." One notable individual from this period is Hans Leckinger, a merchant and respected citizen of Nuremberg, who lived from 1430 to 1498.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also evolved into various spellings and variations, such as "Leckinger," "Leckinger," and "Leckinger." In the 16th century, the name can be found in records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Christoph Leckinger was a prominent citizen and merchant.
The 17th century saw the name appear in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where a student named Johann Leckinger from Ulm was enrolled in the year 1632. Another notable figure was Johann Georg Leckinger, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1670 to 1738 and wrote several influential works on religious subjects.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the work of Johann Adam Leckinger, a German artist and engraver from Nuremberg, who lived from 1722 to 1789. His intricate copperplate engravings and illustrations were highly regarded during his time.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it continued to be associated with various professions and occupations, from merchants and artisans to scholars and theologians. While not as prominent as some other German surnames, the name Leckinger has left its mark on the historical records of several German cities and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leckinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Leckinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Leckinger 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 Leckinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leckinger
Leckinger 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,190 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-12 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,190 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 11,901 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 Leckinger 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 | #138,304 | #150,205 | -8.6% |
| Count | 121 | 109 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leckinger bearers went from 121 to 109 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 11,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,205.
FAQ
Leckinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leckinger?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Leckinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Leckinger?
Leckinger ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Leckinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Leckinger.
Has Leckinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leckinger went from 121 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Leckinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leckinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Leckinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leckinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Black (2.8%). 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 Leckinger (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 Leckinger mean?
A surname derived from a geographic place name, likely from the German region of Leckingen. 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 Leckinger (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 Leckinger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.