Leifheit last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Leifheit

A German surname originating in a word meaning "agility" or "dexterity".

Leifheit, 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 Leifheit surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leifheit in America

Leifheit is the 39659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leifheit surname appeared 554 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Leifheit.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leifheit 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 39659 40203 -1.36%
Count 554 513 7.69%
Proportion per 100k 0.19 0.19 0.00%

The history of the last name Leifheit

The surname Leifheit originated in Germany in the late medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is a locational name derived from the old German word "leib," meaning "body" or "figure," and "heit," meaning "clearing" or "open space." This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived in an open area or clearing.

Leifheit is thought to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, possibly in the areas around Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg. Early variants of the name include Leifheidt, Leiffheidt, and Leiffheit. While no definitive records exist, the name may have appeared in local parish or tax records from that era.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Leifheit surname dates back to the late 16th century. Johannes Leifheit, born circa 1570 in the town of Schwäbisch Hall in southwestern Germany, was a noted theologian and author of several religious texts.

In the 17th century, Matthias Leifheit (1640-1708) was a prominent architect and builder from the city of Bamberg in northern Bavaria. He is known for his contributions to the design and construction of several churches and public buildings in the region.

The 19th century saw the rise of Friedrich Leifheit (1801-1876), a German businessman and industrialist from the city of Stuttgart. He founded the successful Leifheit manufacturing company, which produced household goods and became a well-known brand in Germany and beyond.

Another notable figure was Helene Leifheit (1875-1945), a German artist and painter from the city of Munich. She gained recognition for her landscape paintings and portraits, and her works were exhibited in galleries across Europe.

In the early 20th century, Karl Leifheit (1903-1981) was a respected academic and professor of linguistics at the University of Heidelberg. He published numerous scholarly works on the German language and its dialects.

While the surname Leifheit has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it likely developed as a locational name referring to a person living in an open or cleared area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leifheit

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

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 Leifheit was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.13% 527
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.61% 20

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 Leifheit has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.13% 97.27% -2.22%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.61% 2.34% 42.69%

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 Leifheit was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Leifheit last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/leifheit-surname-popularity/.

"Leifheit last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/leifheit-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

Leifheit last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/leifheit-surname-popularity/.

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