2000
#15,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Leppert
A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold candles or tallow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,996 Americans carry the last name Leppert. That puts it at #16,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leppert 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
2.0K
1 in 171,721
Census rank
#16,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,741 bearers of the surname Leppert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leppert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leppert
The surname Leppert is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Bavarian region of Germany, where the name was derived from the Old German word "lep," meaning "lip" or "lipped."
This surname was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with distinctive lips or as a reference to a person's occupation, such as a potter or a maker of lip-shaped vessels. The earliest recorded instances of the name Leppert can be found in various German historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One notable early reference to the name Leppert appears in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a lavishly illustrated world history book published in 1493. This historical work includes a mention of a certain Hans Leppert, who was a prominent merchant and citizen of the city of Nuremberg during the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Leppert gained recognition through the works of the German humanist and scholar, Johann Leppert (1494-1556). Born in Strasbourg, Leppert was a renowned philologist and professor of Greek at the University of Basel. His contributions to the study of classical literature and languages earned him a lasting reputation among scholars of his time.
Another notable figure associated with the surname Leppert was Johann Adam Leppert (1673-1746), a German architect and builder from Bamberg. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in the Baroque style, including the Prince-Bishops' Residenz in Würzburg, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the 19th century, the name Leppert gained further prominence through the accomplishments of Karl Leppert (1804-1865), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural works. His detailed and realistic depictions of German cityscapes and landmarks were highly acclaimed during his lifetime.
Throughout its history, the surname Leppert has also been associated with various place names and alternative spellings. For instance, the town of Leppersdorf in Bavaria is believed to have derived its name from the surname Leppert, suggesting that the name may have originated in that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leppert
Among Census respondents with the surname Leppert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Leppert 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 Leppert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,617
- Two or more races3.0% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 48
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leppert
Leppert 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
#14,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,030
+270 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 671 places
2020
#16,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,741
-289 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 1,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,327 | 1,760 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,656 | 2,030 | 0.69 | +270 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 671 places |
| 2020 | #16,084 | 1,741 | 0.58 | -289 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 1,428 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 Leppert 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 | #14,656 | #16,084 | -9.7% |
| Count | 2,030 | 1,741 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.58 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leppert bearers went from 2,030 to 1,741 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 1,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,656 to #16,084.
FAQ
Leppert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leppert?
Name Census estimates that about 1,996 living Americans carry the surname Leppert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,721 residents.
How common is Leppert?
Leppert ranks #16,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,741 people with the surname Leppert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,996), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Leppert.
Has Leppert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leppert went from 2,030 recorded bearers to 1,741. That is a decrease of 289 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,656 to #16,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Leppert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leppert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Leppert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,617 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leppert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Leppert (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 Leppert mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold candles or tallow. 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 Leppert (0.58 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 Americans have the surname Leppert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.