2000
#9,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Lehner
A habitational surname derived from places in Austria and Bavaria, likely referring to someone living near a claypit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,470 Americans carry the last name Lehner. That puts it at #10,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lehner 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
3.5K
1 in 98,776
Census rank
#10,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,026 bearers of the surname Lehner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lehner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lehner
The surname Lehner is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Lehner," meaning a person who worked as a clay worker or brick maker. This occupational surname was initially given to individuals whose primary trade involved working with clay and creating bricks, tiles, or pottery.
The name is believed to have originated in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland, where the clay-working industry thrived. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in German parish records and municipal archives dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lehner appears in the "Heidelberger Schöffenbuch" (Heidelberg Bench Book), a legal record from the city of Heidelberg, dating back to the year 1399. This document mentions a "Hans Lehner," who was likely a brick maker or potter residing in the city at that time.
In the 16th century, the name Lehner can be found in various German historical records, including the "Kirchenbücher" (Church Books) of several German towns and villages. For instance, the birth of "Johann Lehner" is recorded in the parish register of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in 1523.
A notable figure bearing the surname Lehner was Johann Georg Lehner (1664-1736), a German architect and sculptor from Bavaria. He is known for his work on several churches and monastic buildings in the Baroque style, including the Kloster Andechs near Munich.
Another individual of historical significance was Johann Lehner (1731-1812), a German-Austrian composer and organist from Salzburg. He is recognized for his contributions to the development of church music in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the name Lehner can be found in connection with various place names and older spellings of place names across Germany. For example, the town of Lehnerhof in Bavaria was once known as "Lehnerhoven," derived from the surname Lehner.
Other individuals who carried the surname Lehner include Karl Lehner (1828-1899), an Austrian painter and lithographer who specialized in landscape and genre scenes, and Maximilian Lehner (1830-1892), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Throughout history, the surname Lehner has been associated with various occupations related to clay work, brickmaking, and pottery, as well as other fields such as architecture, art, music, and engineering. While the name originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lehner
Among Census respondents with the surname Lehner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lehner 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 Lehner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,811
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 93
- Two or more races2.4% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lehner
Lehner 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
#10,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,133
-44 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 889 places
2020
#10,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,026
-107 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,398 | 3,177 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,287 | 3,133 | 1.06 | -44 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 889 places |
| 2020 | #10,152 | 3,026 | 1.01 | -107 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 135 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 Lehner 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 | #10,287 | #10,152 | 1.3% |
| Count | 3,133 | 3,026 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.01 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lehner bearers went from 3,133 to 3,026 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,287 to #10,152.
FAQ
Lehner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lehner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,470 living Americans carry the surname Lehner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,776 residents.
How common is Lehner?
Lehner ranks #10,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,026 people with the surname Lehner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,470), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Lehner.
Has Lehner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lehner went from 3,133 recorded bearers to 3,026. That is a decrease of 107 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,287 to #10,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Lehner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lehner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Lehner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,811 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lehner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Lehner (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 Lehner mean?
A habitational surname derived from places in Austria and Bavaria, likely referring to someone living near a claypit. 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 Lehner (1.01 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 Lehner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.