2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Leibson
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name Leib/Lieb, meaning "beloved" or "dear one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Leibson. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leibson 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Leibson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leibson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leibson
The surname Leibson is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is likely derived from the German word "Leib," which means "body" or "belly." This could suggest that the surname was initially a descriptive name or a nickname referring to a person's physical characteristics.
The earliest known records of the name Leibson date back to the 16th century, appearing in documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During this period, surnames were becoming more standardized, and families began adopting fixed last names that were often derived from occupations, physical traits, or places of origin.
One notable historical figure with the surname Leibson was Yakov Leibson, a prominent merchant and philanthropist who lived in the city of Vilnius (then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) in the late 17th century. Yakov Leibson was known for his significant contributions to the local Jewish community and for establishing several charitable organizations.
In the 19th century, the surname Leibson appeared in various census records and documents across Eastern Europe. For instance, in the 1860s, a man named Shmuel Leibson was recorded as a resident of the town of Berdichev (now in Ukraine), where he worked as a tailor.
Another historical figure with the surname Leibson was Chaim Leibson, a renowned rabbi and scholar who lived in the city of Lublin, Poland, in the late 19th century. Chaim Leibson was widely respected for his expertise in Jewish law and his contributions to the local Jewish community.
As the 20th century dawned, the Leibson surname began to spread more widely due to migration and immigration. One notable individual from this period was Solomon Leibson, a writer and journalist who was born in Belarus in 1890. Leibson emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and became known for his literary works and contributions to Yiddish literature.
It's important to note that historical records and documents from earlier periods may not be entirely comprehensive, and there could be other individuals with the surname Leibson who played significant roles but whose stories have been lost to time. Nevertheless, the available information suggests that the Leibson surname has a rich history rooted in Eastern European Jewish communities, with connections to various occupations, localities, and prominent figures over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leibson
Among Census respondents with the surname Leibson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Leibson 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 Leibson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leibson
Leibson 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-21 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,972 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-16 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 22,972 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 15,493 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 Leibson 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 | #134,712 | #150,205 | -11.5% |
| Count | 125 | 109 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leibson bearers went from 125 to 109 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 15,493 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #150,205.
FAQ
Leibson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leibson?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Leibson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Leibson?
Leibson ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Leibson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Leibson.
Has Leibson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leibson went from 125 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Leibson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leibson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Leibson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leibson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Leibson (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 Leibson mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name Leib/Lieb, meaning "beloved" or "dear one." 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 Leibson (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 Americans have the surname Leibson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.