Find out how popular the last name Leib is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Leib.

Leib, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Leib surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leib in America

Leib is the 15788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leib surname appeared 1,845 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Leib.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leib to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Leib

The surname Leib has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "leib," which means "body" or "corpse." This name was likely given to someone who worked with bodies, such as a gravedigger or a mortician.

In the early medieval period, surnames were often descriptive, referring to a person's occupation, physical appearance, or place of origin. The name Leib falls into the category of occupational surnames, indicating the profession or trade of the original bearer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leib can be found in the records of the city of Lübeck, Germany, where a certain Hans Leib is mentioned in a document dated 1432. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 15th century.

In the 16th century, there are records of a prominent German printer and publisher named Michael Leib, who was active in the city of Wittenberg during the time of the Protestant Reformation. He printed and distributed many of Martin Luther's works, playing a significant role in the dissemination of the reformist ideas.

During the 17th century, a notable bearer of the Leib surname was Johann Leib (1615-1678), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister in the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. His works, primarily sacred vocal compositions, were highly regarded in his time.

In the 18th century, the name Leib gained prominence in France, where a certain Jean-Baptiste Leib (1736-1795) was a French politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Strasbourg during the early years of the French Revolution.

Another notable figure with the Leib surname was the German philosopher and psychologist Wilhelm Leib (1876-1956), who was a prominent advocate of the philosophical movement known as phenomenology. His works on the nature of consciousness and the lived experience were highly influential in the field of philosophy.

While the surname Leib has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with various spellings and variations emerging over time, such as Leibe, Leyb, and Libe. However, the fundamental meaning and origin of the name remain linked to the Old German word for "body" or "corpse," reflecting its occupational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leib

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Leib.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Leib was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Leib has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Leib was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leib, please contact us.

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