2000
#10,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Lederer
A surname of German origin referring to a leather maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,772 Americans carry the last name Lederer. That puts it at #12,291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,649 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lederer 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
2.8K
1 in 123,649
Census rank
#12,291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,417 bearers of the surname Lederer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lederer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lederer
The surname Lederer originated in Germany and is an occupational name derived from the German word "leder," meaning leather. It was initially used to identify individuals involved in the leather trade, such as tanners, leatherworkers, or those who sold leather goods.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. The name was often spelled differently in historical records, such as Ledrer, Lederer, or Ledermeister.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Lederer, a tanner from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a guild register in the year 1322. Another notable early record is the mention of Ulrich Lederer, a leatherworker from Augsburg, in a city census from 1378.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various German manuscripts and records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, where a certain Hans Lederer is mentioned as a witness in a land transaction in 1467.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also became associated with certain place names. For instance, the town of Lederer in Saxony likely derived its name from the presence of leatherworkers in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Lederer. Johann Lederer (1625-1688) was a German explorer and surveyor who traveled extensively in the American colonies, documenting his journeys and encounters with Native American tribes.
Another prominent figure was Georg Lederer (1837-1917), an Austrian journalist and politician who served as the mayor of Vienna from 1897 to 1910. He was instrumental in the city's urban development during that period.
In the field of music, Jakob Lederer (1853-1939) was a German composer and conductor who contributed significantly to the development of military music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The name Lederer also gained recognition in the field of literature with the Austrian writer Max Lederer (1904-1979), who was known for his novels and short stories exploring themes of Jewish identity and the complexities of modern life.
Finally, one of the most recent notable figures with the surname was Charles Lederer (1910-1976), an American screenwriter and film producer who worked on several notable films in the 1940s and 1950s, including the Academy Award-winning "Gentlemen's Agreement."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lederer
Among Census respondents with the surname Lederer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lederer 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 Lederer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,205
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 82
- Two or more races2.9% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 31
- Black or African American0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lederer
Lederer 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
#11,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,710
+25 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 704 places
2020
#12,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,417
-293 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,885 | 2,685 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,589 | 2,710 | 0.92 | +25 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 704 places |
| 2020 | #12,291 | 2,417 | 0.81 | -293 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 702 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 Lederer 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 | #11,589 | #12,291 | -6.1% |
| Count | 2,710 | 2,417 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.81 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lederer bearers went from 2,710 to 2,417 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 702 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,589 to #12,291.
FAQ
Lederer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lederer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,772 living Americans carry the surname Lederer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,649 residents.
How common is Lederer?
Lederer ranks #12,291 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,417 people with the surname Lederer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,772), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Lederer.
Has Lederer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lederer went from 2,710 recorded bearers to 2,417. That is a decrease of 293 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,589 to #12,291.
What does the Census say about the background of Lederer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lederer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lederer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,205 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lederer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lederer (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 Lederer mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a leather maker or seller. 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 Lederer (0.81 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 Lederer?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Lederer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.