Find out how popular the last name Leske is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Leske.

Leske, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Leske surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leske in America

Leske is the 44653rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leske surname appeared 481 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Leske.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leske to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Leske

The surname Leske originated in the German region of Silesia, which is now part of modern-day Poland and Germany. This name likely derives from the Old German word "lesk," meaning "lukewarm" or "tepid." It may have been a descriptive name given to someone with a calm or mild temperament.

The earliest recorded instances of the Leske surname can be traced back to the 16th century in Silesian parish records. Variations of the spelling included Lescke, Lesche, and Lesk. During this time, the name was predominantly found in the towns and villages around Breslau, now known as Wrocław.

One notable historical figure with the Leske surname was Johann Leske, a German naturalist and geologist born in 1702 in the town of Hirschberg, Silesia (now Jelenia Góra, Poland). He authored several works on the natural history and mineralogy of the region.

In the 18th century, the Leske name appeared in records from the nearby region of Pomerania, which was then part of Prussia. A prominent individual from this era was Ernst Leske, a German playwright and satirist born in 1754 in Pomerania.

As the Leske family migrated westward, the name gained a foothold in other parts of Germany. In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Heinrich Leske, a German lawyer and politician born in 1819 in Anhalt-Dessau.

Another significant figure was Max Leske, a German publisher and bookseller born in 1852 in Leipzig. He founded the publishing house Leske & Budrich, which specialized in scientific and academic works.

In the early 20th century, the name Leske appeared in various German-speaking regions, including Austria and Switzerland. One noteworthy individual from this period was Walther Leske, an Austrian actor and film director born in 1900 in Vienna.

Throughout its history, the Leske surname has maintained strong roots in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe. While its origins can be traced back to Silesia, the name has since spread to other areas, reflecting the migration patterns of its bearers over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leske

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Leske.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Leske was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Leske has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Leske was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leske, please contact us.

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