2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leistman
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Leisten," meaning "to achieve" or "to perform."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Leistman. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leistman 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Leistman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leistman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leistman
The surname LEISTMAN is of German origin, and traces its roots back to the medieval period. It was initially found in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Swabia. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "leist," which means "border" or "edge," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near a territorial boundary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LEISTMAN surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Duchy of Würzburg, dating back to the 13th century. This reference mentions a "Johannes Leistman" who was a landowner in the region.
During the 16th century, the LEISTMAN name appears in various records from the Free Imperial City of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a prominent town in the Franconian region of Germany. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Hans LEISTMAN (1525-1588), a respected merchant and member of the city council.
As the LEISTMAN family spread throughout Germany, their name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as LEISTMANN, LEISTMEN, and LEISTMANN. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Mittelkalbach, in the Hesse region. Here, Johann Friedrich LEISTMAN (1732-1801) was a prominent figure, serving as the town's mayor and magistrate.
The 19th century saw the LEISTMAN name appear in various parts of Germany, with notable individuals including:
1. Wilhelm LEISTMAN (1818-1892), a renowned philosopher and academic from Leipzig.
2. Frederike LEISTMAN (1842-1912), a celebrated opera singer from Dresden.
3. Heinrich LEISTMAN (1865-1937), a pioneering industrialist and founder of the LEISTMAN Machinery Works in Berlin.
As German immigration to other parts of the world increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the LEISTMAN surname spread to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
4. Ernst LEISTMAN (1876-1961), a German-American artist and sculptor who settled in New York.
5. Anna LEISTMAN (1893-1978), a renowned Australian author and poet known for her works on Aboriginal culture.
Throughout its long history, the LEISTMAN surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, academics, artists, and industrialists, all contributing to the rich tapestry of German cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leistman
Among Census respondents with the surname Leistman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Leistman 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 Leistman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 95
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leistman
Leistman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,423 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 Leistman 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 | #152,628 | #150,205 | 1.6% |
| Count | 107 | 109 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leistman bearers went from 107 to 109 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #150,205.
FAQ
Leistman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leistman?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Leistman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Leistman?
Leistman ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Leistman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Leistman.
Has Leistman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leistman went from 107 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Leistman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leistman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Leistman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leistman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Leistman (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 Leistman mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Leisten," meaning "to achieve" or "to perform." 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 Leistman (0.04 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 have the last name Leistman?
See how many Americans have the surname Leistman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.