2000
#1,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,222
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.13
Uncommon Last name
Ledbetter
An English occupational surname referring to a lead beater, one who works with lead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,138 Americans carry the last name Ledbetter. That puts it at #1,912 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ledbetter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ledbetter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,215
Census rank
#1,912
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,433 bearers of the surname Ledbetter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1912th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledbetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ledbetter
The surname Ledbetter has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lead" and "better," referring to someone who worked with lead or was a skilled lead worker. Some early spellings of the name included Leadbetter, Ledbitter, and Ledbytur.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ledbetter can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a William Leadbetere is listed. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297 mention a John de Ledebeter.
The name Ledbetter has been associated with various place names in England, such as Ledbetter Hill in Warwickshire and Ledbetter Bridge in Lancashire. These place names likely originated from people with the surname Ledbetter who resided in or were associated with those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Ledbetter throughout history include:
1. Thomas Ledbetter (c. 1615-1677), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Compton Bassett in Wiltshire.
2. Josiah Ledbetter (1761-1837), an American planter and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. William Ledbetter (1792-1873), an American politician who served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate in the mid-19th century.
4. Mary Ledbetter (1834-1910), an American educator and civil rights activist who founded the Ledbetter Normal and Industrial Institute in Arkansas, one of the earliest schools for African Americans in the state.
5. Huddie Ledbetter (1888-1949), better known as Lead Belly, an influential American folk and blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose musicality and storytelling had a significant impact on the development of popular music.
While the surname Ledbetter originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns. The name has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diverse histories and experiences of those who have carried it through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ledbetter
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledbetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ledbetter 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 Ledbetter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 14,967
- Black or African American10.2% · 1,886
- Two or more races4.3% · 800
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 573
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ledbetter
Ledbetter 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
#1,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,417
+195 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 6.58
Rank movement Down 135 places
2020
#1,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,433
-984 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 6.17
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,712 | 19,222 | 7.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,847 | 19,417 | 6.58 | +195 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 135 places |
| 2020 | #1,912 | 18,433 | 6.17 | -984 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 65 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 Ledbetter 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 | #1,847 | #1,912 | -3.5% |
| Count | 19,417 | 18,433 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.58 | 6.17 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ledbetter bearers went from 19,417 to 18,433 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,847 to #1,912.
FAQ
Ledbetter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ledbetter?
Name Census estimates that about 21,138 living Americans carry the surname Ledbetter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,215 residents.
How common is Ledbetter?
Ledbetter ranks #1,912 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,433 people with the surname Ledbetter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Ledbetter.
Has Ledbetter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ledbetter went from 19,417 recorded bearers to 18,433. That is a decrease of 984 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,847 to #1,912.
What does the Census say about the background of Ledbetter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledbetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Ledbetter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (14,967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ledbetter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Ledbetter (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 Ledbetter mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a lead beater, one who works with lead. 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 Ledbetter (6.17 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 last name Ledbetter?
You can see how many people are called Ledbetter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.