2000
#48,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 408
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Leisinger
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Leissinger" meaning a companion or follower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 497 Americans carry the last name Leisinger. That puts it at #51,869 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 689,647 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leisinger 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
497
1 in 689,647
Census rank
#51,869
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
433
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 433 bearers of the surname Leisinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51869th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leisinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leisinger
The surname "Leisinger" is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The name "Leisinger" is derived from the Germanic word "leis," which means "path" or "trail," combined with the suffix "-inger," indicating a place of origin or residence. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a particular path or trail.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Leisinger" can be found in the Würzburg archives, dated 1387, which mentions a certain "Hans Leisinger" from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany, including references to a "Georg Leisinger" (1524-1591), a renowned scholar and theologian from Heidelberg.
Notable individuals bearing the surname "Leisinger" include Johann Leisinger (1665-1743), a prominent clockmaker from Augsburg, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by European nobility.
Another notable figure was Maria Leisinger (1808-1877), a German writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education in the mid-19th century.
In the 20th century, Karl Leisinger (1919-2004) was a respected German architect who designed several notable buildings in Munich and Frankfurt.
The name "Leisinger" can also be found in historical records from other German-speaking regions, such as Switzerland and Austria, although its origins are primarily rooted in southern Germany.
While the name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as "Leysinger" and "Leissinger," the core elements of the name have remained largely intact, reflecting its deep ties to the German language and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leisinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Leisinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Leisinger 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 Leisinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 395
- Two or more races4.4% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leisinger
Leisinger 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
#54,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 382
-26 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 5,488 places
2020
#51,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 433
+51 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 2,186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,567 | 408 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,055 | 382 | 0.13 | -26 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 5,488 places |
| 2020 | #51,869 | 433 | 0.14 | +51 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 2,186 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 Leisinger 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 | #54,055 | #51,869 | 4.0% |
| Count | 382 | 433 | 13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leisinger bearers went from 382 to 433 (+13.4% change). The surname moved up 2,186 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,055 to #51,869.
FAQ
Leisinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leisinger?
Name Census estimates that about 497 living Americans carry the surname Leisinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 689,647 residents.
How common is Leisinger?
Leisinger ranks #51,869 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 433 people with the surname Leisinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (497), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Leisinger.
Has Leisinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leisinger went from 382 recorded bearers to 433. That is an increase of 51 (+13.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #54,055 to #51,869.
What does the Census say about the background of Leisinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leisinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Leisinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leisinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Leisinger (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 Leisinger mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Leissinger" meaning a companion or follower. 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 Leisinger (0.14 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 Leisinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.