2000
#7,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,948
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Lesher
An English occupational surname for someone who leased land or collected rents.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,400 Americans carry the last name Lesher. That puts it at #8,271 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lesher 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
4.4K
1 in 77,899
Census rank
#8,271
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,837 bearers of the surname Lesher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8271st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lesher
The surname Lesher has its origins in the Germanic regions of Europe, with records dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "leschen," which means "to extinguish" or "to quench." This could suggest that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who worked as a firefighter or a person responsible for putting out fires.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lesher can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 9th century. The name appears in the form "Leschære," which indicates that it may have been used as a surname during this time period in the region that is now modern-day Germany.
In the 13th century, the name Lesher appears in the Rotulus Hundredorum, a survey of landholders in England, suggesting that individuals bearing this name may have migrated from the Germanic regions to England during this period.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name Lesher is Johann Lesher, born in 1492 in the town of Nuremberg, located in the region of Bavaria, Germany. Johann Lesher was a prominent merchant and trader during the Renaissance period.
Another notable individual with the surname Lesher was Hans Lesher (1517-1589), a German blacksmith and metalworker who is credited with developing innovative techniques for forging and tempering steel.
In the 17th century, the name Lesher appears in the records of the town of Heidelberg, where a family by the name of Lesher was involved in the winemaking industry. This suggests that the name may have been associated with certain occupations or trades in different regions.
Another notable figure with the surname Lesher was Johann Friedrich Lesher (1670-1732), a German theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of natural theology.
As the name Lesher spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Lescher, Leesher, and Leshur, which can be found in historical records from different regions.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many individuals bearing the surname Lesher immigrated to the Americas, particularly to areas such as Pennsylvania and other parts of the United States, where they established communities and continued their respective trades and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lesher
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lesher 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 Lesher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,532
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 133
- Two or more races2.7% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 40
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lesher
Lesher 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
#8,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,070
+122 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 384 places
2020
#8,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,837
-233 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,760 | 3,948 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,144 | 4,070 | 1.38 | +122 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 384 places |
| 2020 | #8,271 | 3,837 | 1.28 | -233 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 127 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 Lesher 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 | #8,144 | #8,271 | -1.6% |
| Count | 4,070 | 3,837 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.28 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lesher bearers went from 4,070 to 3,837 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,144 to #8,271.
FAQ
Lesher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lesher?
Name Census estimates that about 4,400 living Americans carry the surname Lesher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,899 residents.
How common is Lesher?
Lesher ranks #8,271 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 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 3,837 people with the surname Lesher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 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 Lesher.
Has Lesher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lesher went from 4,070 recorded bearers to 3,837. That is a decrease of 233 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,144 to #8,271.
What does the Census say about the background of Lesher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lesher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,532 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lesher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lesher (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 Lesher mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who leased land or collected rents. 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 Lesher (1.28 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 Lesher?
Want to know how many people have the surname Lesher? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.