2000
#4,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,580
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.81
Rare Last name
Lerner
A Jewish occupational surname referring to a scholar or teacher, derived from the German word "Lehrner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,229 Americans carry the last name Lerner. That puts it at #4,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lerner 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lerner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,652
Census rank
#4,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,176 bearers of the surname Lerner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lerner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lerner
The surname Lerner originated in the German regions of Bavaria and Austria during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "lernen," meaning "to learn" or "to study." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who was a scholar, teacher, or student.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lerner can be found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensis, a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of Lunelacus in Bavaria, dated to the early 13th century. The manuscript mentions a "Chunradus Lernære" (Conrad the Learner) who was a monk at the monastery.
In the 14th century, the name Lerner appeared in various records from the cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg in Bavaria. For example, a "Hans Lerner" is mentioned in the Nuremberg city records of 1387 as a merchant and member of the local guild.
The surname Lerner is also found in the historical records of the city of Vienna, Austria, where it was sometimes spelled as "Lehrner." In the 16th century, a "Georg Lehrner" (born around 1520) was a renowned clockmaker and engineer who worked on the construction of the iconic clock tower at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
Another notable bearer of the name Lerner was the German poet and novelist Gottfried Lerner (1661-1728), who was born in Nuremberg and is considered one of the leading figures of the Baroque period in German literature.
In the 19th century, the surname Lerner was associated with the Jewish community in Central Europe. One prominent figure was the Austrian writer and journalist Adolf Lerner (1834-1890), who was born in Brünn (now Brno, Czech Republic) and was a prominent advocate for Jewish emancipation and assimilation.
The name Lerner has also been found in various place names throughout Central Europe, such as Lernerhof (a village in Bavaria) and Lernau (a town in Austria), which further underscores the historical significance and geographical spread of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lerner
Among Census respondents with the surname Lerner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lerner 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 Lerner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 6,648
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 273
- Two or more races1.9% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 69
- Black or African American0.6% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lerner
Lerner 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
#4,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,672
+92 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#4,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,176
-496 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,336 | 7,580 | 2.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,625 | 7,672 | 2.60 | +92 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #4,782 | 7,176 | 2.40 | -496 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 157 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 Lerner 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 | #4,625 | #4,782 | -3.4% |
| Count | 7,672 | 7,176 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.40 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lerner bearers went from 7,672 to 7,176 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,625 to #4,782.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lerner
FAQ
Lerner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lerner?
Name Census estimates that about 8,229 living Americans carry the surname Lerner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,652 residents.
How common is Lerner?
Lerner ranks #4,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,176 people with the surname Lerner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lerner.
Has Lerner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lerner went from 7,672 recorded bearers to 7,176. That is a decrease of 496 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,625 to #4,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Lerner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lerner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Lerner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (6,648 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lerner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Lerner (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 Lerner mean?
A Jewish occupational surname referring to a scholar or teacher, derived from the German word "Lehrner." 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 Lerner (2.40 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 Lerner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.