2000
#10,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,757
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Leis
A German occupational surname derived from a dialectal term for a weaver or linen cloth maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,084 Americans carry the last name Leis. That puts it at #11,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leis 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
3.1K
1 in 111,140
Census rank
#11,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,689 bearers of the surname Leis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leis
The surname LEIS is believed to have originated in Germany, particularly in the northern regions, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "leis," which means "little" or "small." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone of diminutive stature or as a way to distinguish between individuals with the same first name.
One of the earliest documented instances of the LEIS surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript compiled in the 9th century that recorded land transactions in the region of Westphalia. The name appears in various spellings, including "Leis," "Leys," and "Leiss," indicating the fluidity of surname spellings during that time.
In the 13th century, a man named Johannes Leis was recorded as a resident of the town of Münster, which was a prominent ecclesiastical center in the Holy Roman Empire. This provides evidence of the surname's presence in the area during the High Middle Ages.
The LEIS surname has also been linked to several place names in Germany, such as Leisau, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Leissigen, a municipality in the district of Oberallgäu, Bavaria. These connections suggest that the surname may have originated as a locative name, derived from the name of a particular place.
Notable individuals with the surname LEIS throughout history include:
1. Johann Heinrich Leis (1758-1831), a German musician and composer from Reutlingen, Württemberg.
2. Friedrich Leis (1806-1878), a German painter and illustrator from Mannheim, Baden.
3. Johann Leis (1856-1932), an Austrian architect best known for designing the Vienna Burgtheater.
4. Hans Leis (1886-1962), a German World War I flying ace credited with 24 aerial victories.
5. Günter Leis (1921-2008), a German actor and theater director who appeared in numerous films and television productions.
While the surname LEIS may have originated from humble beginnings as a descriptive nickname or a locative name, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries, contributing to the rich tapestry of German cultural history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leis
Among Census respondents with the surname Leis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leis 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 Leis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,442
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 111
- Two or more races2.5% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leis
Leis 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
#11,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,855
+98 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 461 places
2020
#11,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,689
-166 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,650 | 2,757 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,111 | 2,855 | 0.97 | +98 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 461 places |
| 2020 | #11,240 | 2,689 | 0.90 | -166 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 129 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 Leis 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 | #11,111 | #11,240 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,855 | 2,689 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.90 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leis bearers went from 2,855 to 2,689 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,111 to #11,240.
FAQ
Leis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,084 living Americans carry the surname Leis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,140 residents.
How common is Leis?
Leis ranks #11,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,689 people with the surname Leis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,084), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Leis.
Has Leis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leis went from 2,855 recorded bearers to 2,689. That is a decrease of 166 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,111 to #11,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Leis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Leis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Leis (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 Leis mean?
A German occupational surname derived from a dialectal term for a weaver or linen cloth maker. 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 Leis (0.90 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 common is the surname Leis?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Leis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.