2000
#7,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Leininger
A German occupational surname referring to a linen weaver or merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,591 Americans carry the last name Leininger. That puts it at #7,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leininger 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
4.6K
1 in 74,658
Census rank
#7,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,004 bearers of the surname Leininger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leininger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leininger
The surname Leininger has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Leiningen, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of western Germany. The name is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "lina," meaning "flax" or "linen," suggesting that the town was known for its linen industry.
The earliest known record of the name Leininger dates back to the 13th century, when it appears in various medieval documents and records from the region. One notable early reference is found in the Codex Laureshamensis, a medieval cartulary from the Lorsch Abbey, which mentions a "Heinricus de Leiningen" in the year 1268.
In the 14th century, the Leininger family gained prominence as members of the noble class in the Holy Roman Empire. They held territories and estates in the Palatinate region and were closely associated with the Count of Leiningen-Westerburg, whose ancestral seat was the town of Leiningen.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Leininger was Johann Leininger (c. 1330 - 1402), a knight and Lord of Leiningen-Westerburg. Another notable figure was Friedrich Leininger (1486 - 1558), a German nobleman and courtier who served as a counselor to the Elector Palatine.
In the 16th century, the name Leininger began to spread beyond the Rhineland-Palatinate region as people migrated to other parts of Europe. This led to variations in spelling, such as Leininger, Leyninger, and Leiningher.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several individuals with the surname Leininger achieved recognition in various fields. For example, Johann Georg Leininger (1639 - 1711) was a German composer and organist, while Christian Friedrich Leininger (1733 - 1809) was a noted theologian and author.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One notable bearer of the surname was Jacob Leininger (1783 - 1868), a German-American pioneer and settler in Pennsylvania, who played a significant role in the early development of the region.
Throughout its history, the surname Leininger has been associated with various professions and achievements, from nobility and politics to art, music, and literature. While its origins can be traced back to a small town in western Germany, the name has since become a part of the cultural fabric of many countries around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leininger
Among Census respondents with the surname Leininger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Leininger 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 Leininger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 3,719
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 123
- Two or more races2.8% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leininger
Leininger 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
#7,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,765
+658 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 455 places
2020
#7,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,004
-761 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 921 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,476 | 4,107 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,021 | 4,765 | 1.62 | +658 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 455 places |
| 2020 | #7,942 | 4,004 | 1.34 | -761 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 921 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 Leininger 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 | #7,021 | #7,942 | -13.1% |
| Count | 4,765 | 4,004 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.34 | -17.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leininger bearers went from 4,765 to 4,004 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 921 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,021 to #7,942.
FAQ
Leininger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leininger?
Name Census estimates that about 4,591 living Americans carry the surname Leininger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,658 residents.
How common is Leininger?
Leininger ranks #7,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,004 people with the surname Leininger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Leininger.
Has Leininger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leininger went from 4,765 recorded bearers to 4,004. That is a decrease of 761 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,021 to #7,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Leininger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leininger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Leininger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leininger 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 (2.8%). 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 Leininger (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 Leininger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a linen weaver or merchant. 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 Leininger (1.34 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 are called Leininger?
See how many Americans have the surname Leininger on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.