2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ledent
A locational surname likely referring to someone from a place named Ledent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Ledent. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ledent 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Ledent in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledent, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ledent
The surname LEDENT originated in Belgium during the early medieval period. It is derived from the old Dutch words "lede" meaning a limb or branch, and "ent" meaning a resident or dweller. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent limb or branch of a tree or river.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the LEDENT surname dates back to a 13th century manuscript from the region of Brabant in what is now modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands. The name appeared as "Ledente" in reference to a local landowner.
In the 15th century, variations of the spelling such as "Leden" and "Ledene" can be found in records from the nearby city of Antwerp. This suggests the name may have originated in that area before spreading to other parts of Belgium.
A notable early bearer of the LEDENT name was Jan Ledent, a merchant and alderman in Brussels who lived from 1520 to 1587. He was part of the wealthy urban elite and held influential positions in the city government.
During the 17th century, the LEDENT surname appeared in church records from the village of Lede, located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. This place name shares linguistic roots with the surname and may indicate an ancestral homeland for some LEDENT families.
One of the most famous people with the LEDENT surname was Rene-Francois Ledent, an 18th century Belgian painter born in 1744. He studied under the renowned Jacques-Louis David and his works can be found in museums across Europe.
Other notable individuals with this last name include Jeanne-Marie Ledent (1767-1829), a Brabantian nun and founder of a Catholic religious order, and Desire Ledent (1835-1923), a 19th century member of the Belgian parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ledent
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledent, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ledent 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 Ledent surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.9% · 70
- Black or African American38.8% · 47
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ledent
Ledent appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 799 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 Ledent 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 | #142,108 | #141,309 | 0.6% |
| Count | 117 | 121 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ledent bearers went from 117 to 121 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 799 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #141,309.
FAQ
Ledent surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ledent?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Ledent. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Ledent?
Ledent ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Ledent. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Ledent.
Has Ledent become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ledent went from 117 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Ledent?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledent, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Ledent in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.9% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ledent appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.9%), Black (38.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Ledent (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 Ledent mean?
A locational surname likely referring to someone from a place named Ledent. 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 Ledent (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 people share the surname Ledent?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.