2000
#83,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Leschke
A variant spelling of the German surname meaning "from Lask" or "from Lesk", referring to towns in Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 250 Americans carry the last name Leschke. That puts it at #90,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,371,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leschke 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
250
1 in 1,371,017
Census rank
#90,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
218
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 218 bearers of the surname Leschke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leschke
The surname Leschke originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Lesch," which means "bald" or "hairless." The name likely referred to someone who had little hair or was bald.
Leschke is a variation of the more common German surname Leschke, which was found in various regions of Germany, including Silesia, Brandenburg, and Pomerania. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records and legal documents from these areas.
One of the earliest known references to the name Leschke comes from a 16th-century manuscript in Brandenburg, where a man named Hans Leschke is mentioned. Additionally, the name appears in the Prussian census records from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Historically, the Leschke surname was associated with several notable individuals. For example, Johann Leschke (1599-1672) was a German theologian and author who wrote several works on religious subjects. Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Friedrich Leschke (1789-1857), a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Prussian parliament.
In the 19th century, a German immigrant named Wilhelm Leschke (1833-1905) brought the name to the United States, where he settled in Wisconsin. He became a prominent farmer and landowner in the area.
Another notable individual with the Leschke surname was Ernst Leschke (1877-1942), a German artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraiture. His works can be found in several museums and art galleries throughout Germany.
Lastly, Otto Leschke (1905-1988) was a German engineer and inventor who developed several innovative agricultural machinery and equipment designs during his career.
While the Leschke surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, where it was introduced by German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leschke
Among Census respondents with the surname Leschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Leschke 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 Leschke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leschke
Leschke 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
#91,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
-8 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,920 places
2020
#90,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
+16 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,301 | 210 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,221 | 202 | 0.07 | -8 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 7,920 places |
| 2020 | #90,848 | 218 | 0.07 | +16 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 373 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 Leschke 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 | #91,221 | #90,848 | 0.4% |
| Count | 202 | 218 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leschke bearers went from 202 to 218 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 373 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,221 to #90,848.
FAQ
Leschke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leschke?
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the surname Leschke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,371,017 residents.
How common is Leschke?
Leschke ranks #90,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 218 people with the surname Leschke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Leschke.
Has Leschke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leschke went from 202 recorded bearers to 218. That is an increase of 16 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,221 to #90,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Leschke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Leschke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leschke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Leschke (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 Leschke mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname meaning "from Lask" or "from Lesk", referring to towns in Poland. 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 Leschke (0.07 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 people have the last name Leschke?
If you just want to know how common the surname Leschke is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.