Find out how popular the last name Leiter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Leiter.

Leiter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Leiter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leiter in America

Leiter is the 12548th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leiter surname appeared 2,468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Leiter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leiter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Leiter

The surname Leiter is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, possibly in the areas that are now modern-day Germany or Austria. It is thought to derive from the German word "leiter," which means "ladder" or "leader."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leiter can be found in the Codex Traditiones Corbeienses, a medieval cartulary or manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name appears in this document dated around the 9th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Leiter may have been an occupational name given to someone who made or worked with ladders, or it could have been a descriptive name for someone who was considered a leader or guide in their community.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Leiter was Hans Leiter, a German painter and woodcarver who was born in Bamberg, Germany, around 1520. His works can still be found in churches and museums throughout Bavaria.

Another historical figure with the Leiter surname was Johann Michael Leiter, a German-born Catholic priest who lived from 1735 to 1804. He was a missionary and explorer who traveled extensively in what is now western Canada and the United States, documenting his observations of the indigenous peoples he encountered.

In the 19th century, the Leiter surname appeared in the United States, with one notable individual being Levi Ziegler Leiter, an American businessman and philanthropist born in 1834. He co-founded the department store company Leiter Brothers with his brother, and their business was later acquired by Marshall Field & Company.

Another prominent individual with the Leiter surname was Benjamin Franklin Leiter, an American banker and financier who lived from 1865 to 1938. He was involved in various business ventures, including the Leiter Building in Chicago, which was one of the tallest buildings in the city at the time of its construction in the late 19th century.

While the surname Leiter has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and various European countries, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leiter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Leiter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Leiter was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Leiter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Leiter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leiter, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!