2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leibl
A surname potentially derived from the German nickname "Lieb" meaning "beloved".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Leibl. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leibl 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Leibl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leibl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leibl
The surname LEIBL originated in Germany during the late medieval period, derived from the Middle High German word "leib" meaning "body" or "life." It likely emerged as a nickname or occupational name for someone with a robust or strong physique.
The earliest known record of the LEIBL surname dates back to the 14th century in Bavaria, where it was found in the town of Nuremberg. A notable early bearer of the name was Hans Leibl, a renowned Bavarian painter born in 1844, known for his realistic portraiture and genre scenes.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LEIBL name spread throughout southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It was also recorded in various town and village records, such as the Kirchenbücher (church registers) and Ortsfamilienbücher (local family books).
One notable LEIBL from this period was Johann Leibl, a Bavarian monk and theologian born in 1592, who authored several religious texts and treatises on Catholic doctrine.
As the name continued to disperse in the following centuries, it appeared in various spelling variations, including Leibel, Leibel, and Leybl, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.
During the 19th century, the LEIBL surname gained further prominence with the renowned painter Wilhelm Leibl, born in 1844 in Cologne. His realistic and influential works, such as "The Village Politicians" and "Three Women in Church," earned him recognition as a leading figure in the German Realist movement.
Another notable LEIBL from this era was Friedrich Leibl, a German architect born in 1805, who designed several notable buildings in Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek art museum.
As German emigration to other parts of the world increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the LEIBL surname spread to various countries, particularly in North America and other regions with significant German diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leibl
Among Census respondents with the surname Leibl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Leibl 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 Leibl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leibl
Leibl 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+19 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,550 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-24 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,384 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 8,550 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 21,384 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 Leibl 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 | #132,206 | #153,590 | -16.2% |
| Count | 128 | 104 | -18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leibl bearers went from 128 to 104 (-18.8% change). The surname moved down 21,384 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #153,590.
FAQ
Leibl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leibl?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Leibl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Leibl?
Leibl ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Leibl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Leibl.
Has Leibl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leibl went from 128 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Leibl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leibl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%). 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 Leibl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leibl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (8.7%). 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 Leibl (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 Leibl mean?
A surname potentially derived from the German nickname "Lieb" meaning "beloved". 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 Leibl (0.03 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 Leibl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.