2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leistra
A Dutch surname referring to someone living near a stone ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Leistra. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leistra 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Leistra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leistra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leistra
The surname Leistra has its origins traced back to the Netherlands, predominantly in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
Leistra is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "leistraat," which translates to "alley" or "narrow street." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals residing in specific alleys or narrow streets within a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leistra can be found in the archives of the city of Groningen, dating back to the early 16th century. These records document a family by the name of Leistra residing within the city limits.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Leistra surname was Jan Leistra (1623-1692), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and architectural paintings. His works can be found in various museums and private collections across the Netherlands and beyond.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Pieter Leistra (1797-1871), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands from 1853 to 1856.
During the 19th century, the Leistra name gained recognition through the works of Cornelis Leistra (1841-1916), a Dutch author and journalist. He was known for his contributions to various newspapers and literary magazines of the time.
In the field of science, Hendrik Leistra (1892-1964) made notable contributions as a Dutch physicist and inventor. He was particularly known for his work on the development of early television systems and his contributions to the field of electromagnetism.
The surname Leistra has also been associated with several prominent figures in the world of sports. One such individual was Gerrit Leistra (1923-1999), a Dutch professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs in the Netherlands during the mid-20th century.
It's worth noting that while the Leistra surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the Dutch provinces, where it first emerged centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leistra
Among Census respondents with the surname Leistra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Leistra 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 Leistra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 97
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leistra
Leistra 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 152 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 Leistra 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 | #154,907 | #154,755 | 0.1% |
| Count | 105 | 102 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leistra bearers went from 105 to 102 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,755.
FAQ
Leistra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leistra?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Leistra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Leistra?
Leistra ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Leistra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Leistra.
Has Leistra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leistra went from 105 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Leistra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leistra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Leistra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leistra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Leistra (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 Leistra mean?
A Dutch surname referring to someone living near a stone ridge. 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 Leistra (0.03 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 surname Leistra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.