2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lere
An occupational surname indicating a teacher or lecturer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Lere. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lere 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Lere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lere, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lere
The surname LERE has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the word "lær", meaning "remainder" or "leavings". This name likely originated in England during the early medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries.
The name LERE was likely initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived on the outskirts of a town or village, or perhaps in a remote area where only the "leavings" or "remnants" of the community remained. It may have also been used to describe someone who lived in an area that was left over or remaining after a larger settlement had been established.
In the Domesday Book, a historical record of land ownership compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the surname LERE. These include references to places such as "Lere" in Wiltshire and "Lera" in Lincolnshire, which could have been the origin of the surname or at least related to its early use.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LERE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named "Adam de Lere" is mentioned. Another early example is in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1207, which includes a reference to "William de la Lere".
Over the centuries, the surname LERE has had various spellings, including "Lere", "Leyre", "Leyere", and "Leere". Some notable individuals who bore this surname include:
1. William de la Lere (c. 1190-1260), an English landowner and knight who fought in the Crusades.
2. John Lere (c. 1310-1375), a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 14th century.
3. Margery Lere (c. 1420-1490), an English noblewoman and landowner in Hertfordshire.
4. Thomas Lere (c. 1520-1585), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Windsor from 1564 until his death.
5. Edward Lere (c. 1670-1734), a British colonial administrator and governor of the Leeward Islands from 1727 to 1734.
The surname LERE, while not particularly common today, has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its Old English roots and early use in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lere
Among Census respondents with the surname Lere, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lere 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 Lere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 8
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lere
Lere 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,579 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,579 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,317 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 Lere 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 | #153,590 | 0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 104 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lere bearers went from 105 to 104 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #153,590.
FAQ
Lere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lere?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Lere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Lere?
Lere ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Lere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Lere.
Has Lere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lere went from 105 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Lere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lere, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Lere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (7.7%), Black (2.9%). 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 Lere (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 Lere mean?
An occupational surname indicating a teacher or lecturer. 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 Lere (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 Americans have the surname Lere?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.