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

Lesser, 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 Lesser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lesser in America

Lesser is the 8885th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lesser surname appeared 3,686 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lesser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lesser 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 Lesser

The surname LESSER has its origins in medieval Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive name for someone who was considered small or insignificant. It derives from the Middle High German word "lezzer," meaning "smaller" or "inferior."

This name was likely given as a nickname, either referring to a person's physical stature or their social status within the community. In those times, surnames were often based on personal characteristics, occupations, or places of origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LESSER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the late 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Lezzere" and "Lezzer."

In the 14th century, the surname LESSER is mentioned in the Zimmern Chronicle, a historical account of the noble Zimmern family in southwestern Germany. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by that time.

Notable individuals with the surname LESSER include Johann LESSER (1492-1554), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. Another notable figure was Friedrich Christian LESSER (1692-1754), a German philosopher and mathematician who made contributions to the field of optics.

In the 16th century, the name LESSER appears in the records of the University of Leipzig, indicating that members of this family were engaged in academic pursuits. One such individual was Andreas LESSER (1561-1624), a German scholar and rector of the University of Leipzig.

The LESSER surname also has a long history in the United Kingdom, where it likely arrived with German immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries. One early bearer of the name in England was John LESSER (1692-1745), a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company.

Throughout the centuries, variations of the name LESSER have emerged, such as LESSING and LESSOR, reflecting regional dialects and spelling preferences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its medieval German beginnings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lesser

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

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 Lesser 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 Lesser 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 Lesser was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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