2000
#10,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,948
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Leister
An occupational surname referring to a maker of sieves, strainers, or fish spears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,031 Americans carry the last name Leister. That puts it at #11,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leister 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Leister with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,083
Census rank
#11,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,643 bearers of the surname Leister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leister, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leister
The surname LEISTER has its origins in the Germanic region of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It is believed to have first emerged in the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
One theory suggests that the name LEISTER is derived from an old German word "leisten," which means "to perform" or "to accomplish." This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who excelled at a particular craft or profession. Alternatively, it may have been a descriptive surname for someone who was known for their diligence and hard work.
Another possibility is that the name originated from a place name. There are several locations in Germany and the Netherlands with names similar to LEISTER, such as Leisten, Leisterbach, and Leistringen. It was common practice in medieval times for people to take on surnames based on the place they were born or lived.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LEISTER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In this codex, a man named Conradus Leister is mentioned in a document dated 1324.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the surname LEISTER. One such person was Johann Leister (1561-1612), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Saxony. Another was Johann Caspar Leister (1640-1693), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg Leister (1719-1767) was a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Later, in the 19th century, Johann Leister (1819-1884) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Frankfurt.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the LEISTER surname was Wilhelm Leister (1900-1986), a German politician and member of the Nazi party. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) during the Third Reich.
While the name LEISTER may have originated in Germany and the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references remain rooted in the Germanic regions of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leister
Among Census respondents with the surname Leister, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leister 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 Leister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 2,489
- Two or more races2.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- Black or African American0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leister
Leister 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
#10,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,952
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 719 places
2020
#11,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,643
-309 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,081 | 2,948 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,800 | 2,952 | 1.00 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 719 places |
| 2020 | #11,401 | 2,643 | 0.88 | -309 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 601 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 Leister 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 | #10,800 | #11,401 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,952 | 2,643 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.88 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leister bearers went from 2,952 to 2,643 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 601 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,800 to #11,401.
FAQ
Leister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leister?
Name Census estimates that about 3,031 living Americans carry the surname Leister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,083 residents.
How common is Leister?
Leister ranks #11,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,643 people with the surname Leister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Leister.
Has Leister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leister went from 2,952 recorded bearers to 2,643. That is a decrease of 309 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,800 to #11,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Leister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leister, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Leister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (2,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Leister (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 Leister mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of sieves, strainers, or fish spears. 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 Leister (0.88 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 Leister?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.