2000
#8,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Lefler
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "löffelære," meaning spoon maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,063 Americans carry the last name Lefler. That puts it at #8,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lefler 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
4.1K
1 in 84,360
Census rank
#8,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,543 bearers of the surname Lefler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lefler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lefler
The surname Lefler is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name likely derives from the Old German word "leffel," which means "spoon," suggesting that the Lefler family may have been involved in the manufacture or sale of spoons or other utensils.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century. The name appears as "Leffelaere," which is thought to be an occupational surname referring to a spoon maker or seller.
In the 14th century, there are records of a Johannes Lefler residing in the town of Mühlhausen, in present-day Thuringia, Germany. This is one of the earliest known mentions of the surname in its more modern spelling.
As the Lefler family spread throughout Germany and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, including Lefler, Leflair, and Lefflaire. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
One notable figure bearing the Lefler surname was Hans Lefler, a German artist and engraver born in 1589 in Bamberg, Germany. His intricate engravings and woodcuts depicting religious and historical scenes were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, the name Lefler began to appear in records in other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One such example is Pieter Lefler, a Dutch merchant and trader who lived in Amsterdam in the mid-1600s.
Another significant individual with the Lefler surname was Johann Friedrich Lefler, a German composer and organist born in 1732 in Rudolstadt, Thuringia. He composed numerous sacred works and served as the court organist for several German noble families.
As the centuries passed, the Lefler name continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by emigrating families seeking new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lefler
Among Census respondents with the surname Lefler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lefler 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 Lefler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,233
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 134
- Two or more races3.8% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lefler
Lefler 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
#8,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,684
+34 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 546 places
2020
#8,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,543
-141 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,342 | 3,650 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,888 | 3,684 | 1.25 | +34 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 546 places |
| 2020 | #8,872 | 3,543 | 1.19 | -141 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 16 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 Lefler 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 | #8,888 | #8,872 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,684 | 3,543 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.19 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lefler bearers went from 3,684 to 3,543 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,888 to #8,872.
FAQ
Lefler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lefler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,063 living Americans carry the surname Lefler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,360 residents.
How common is Lefler?
Lefler ranks #8,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,543 people with the surname Lefler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Lefler.
Has Lefler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lefler went from 3,684 recorded bearers to 3,543. That is a decrease of 141 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,888 to #8,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Lefler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lefler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Lefler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lefler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Lefler (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 Lefler mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "löffelære," meaning spoon 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 Lefler (1.19 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 Lefler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.