2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Leenders
A habitational surname referring to an individual from Leende, a municipality in the Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Leenders. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leenders 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Leenders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leenders, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leenders
The surname Leenders is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the region of Brabant. It is derived from the Dutch word "leenaar," which means "tenant" or "leaseholder." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who held land or property on a leasehold basis.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. In this collection, there is a mention of a person named Godefridus Leenders, who lived in the city of Dordrecht.
The Leenders surname is also documented in the Goudse Klapmutseboek, a register of citizens from the city of Gouda, dated around the year 1460. This record includes several individuals with variations of the surname, such as Leendertszoon and Leendertsdr.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears to have spread throughout the Netherlands and neighboring regions. One notable individual with this surname was Jan Leenders van der Lijst (1590-1657), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraits and genre scenes.
Another prominent figure was Pieter Leenders van der Horst (1719-1805), a Dutch lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of Rotterdam from 1769 to 1772.
In the 19th century, the Leenders surname can be found in various records across Europe. One example is Mathias Leenders (1805-1873), a Belgian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Brussels, including the Palais des Académies.
The name also made its way to other parts of the world, such as the United States. One early bearer of the surname in America was Wilhelmus Leenders (1830-1909), a Dutch immigrant who settled in Michigan and became a prominent businessman and community leader.
Throughout history, several other individuals with the surname Leenders have made contributions in fields such as art, literature, and academia. These include Dutch writer and translator Martinus Leenders (1910-1999), American artist and educator Peter Leenders (1938-2019), and Belgian philosopher and ethicist Johanna Leenders (1944-2021).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leenders
Among Census respondents with the surname Leenders, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Leenders 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 Leenders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 102
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leenders
Leenders 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,210 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-13 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,660 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 4,210 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 13,660 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 Leenders 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 | #130,610 | #144,270 | -10.5% |
| Count | 130 | 117 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leenders bearers went from 130 to 117 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 13,660 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #144,270.
FAQ
Leenders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leenders?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Leenders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Leenders?
Leenders ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Leenders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Leenders.
Has Leenders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leenders went from 130 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Leenders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leenders, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Leenders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leenders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Black (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Leenders (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 Leenders mean?
A habitational surname referring to an individual from Leende, a municipality in the Netherlands. 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 Leenders (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 Leenders?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.