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

Leitner, 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 Leitner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leitner in America

Leitner is the 8266th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leitner surname appeared 4,010 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 Leitner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leitner 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 Leitner

The surname LEITNER originated in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, primarily in modern-day Germany and Austria. It likely emerged during the late medieval period or the Renaissance era, around the 14th to 16th centuries. The name is derived from the German word "Leiter," which means "ladder" or "stairway," suggesting a connection to an ancestor's occupation or a distinctive feature of their property or residence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LEITNER surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Reutte in Tyrol, Austria, dating back to the late 15th century. The name also appears in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia.

Interestingly, the LEITNER surname has been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Johann Baptist Leitner (1755-1838), an Austrian painter and engraver renowned for his landscape and religious works. Another notable LEITNER was Karl Gottfried Leitner (1800-1890), a German author and philosopher who wrote extensively on aesthetics and art criticism.

In the 19th century, the LEITNER surname gained prominence through the efforts of Gottlieb William Leitner (1840-1899), a renowned British orientalist and educator. Born in Hungary, he made significant contributions to the study of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages and served as the Principal of the Government College in Lahore, British India.

Another prominent figure with the LEITNER surname was Alphons Leitner (1888-1949), an Austrian actor and film director who worked extensively in the German film industry during the early 20th century. He is known for his collaborations with renowned directors such as Fritz Lang and G.W. Pabst.

The LEITNER surname has also been associated with place names and geographic locations. For instance, the village of Leitner in Lower Austria bears a striking resemblance to the surname, suggesting a potential connection to a place of origin for some LEITNER families.

While the LEITNER name has its roots in central Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to the surname can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it originated and gained prominence over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leitner

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

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 Leitner 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 Leitner 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 Leitner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leitner, 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!