2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lessert
A French locational surname derived from a place name referring to a grove or thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Lessert. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lessert 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Lessert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessert, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (37.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (19.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lessert
The surname Lessert originated in France during the medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Frankish and Germanic languages, where it was likely derived from the words "lesa" or "lesa," meaning "to gather" or "to collect." This suggests that the name may have referred to an occupation or a specific task performed by the original bearers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lessert can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Cluny, a collection of charters and documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cluny in Burgundy, dating back to the 11th century. In these records, the name appears as "Lesserus" and is associated with individuals from the region of Burgundy and Franche-Comté.
During the 13th century, variations of the name, such as "Lessert" and "Lessaire," began to appear in various regions of France, including Champagne, Lorraine, and Île-de-France. These variations likely emerged due to regional pronunciation differences and scribal errors in the transcription of documents.
One notable bearer of the name Lessert was Jean Lessert, a French nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several land deeds and property records from the region of Lorraine, where the family had established themselves as a prominent local family.
In the 16th century, the name Lessert gained recognition in the literary world with the birth of Pierre Lessert (1525-1598), a French poet and playwright from Burgundy. His works, which included poems and theatrical plays, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and contributed to the cultural heritage of the region.
Another significant figure with the surname Lessert was Jacques Lessert (1718-1802), a French architect and engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of several notable buildings in Paris during the 18th century. His most famous work was the Théâtre des Variétés, a renowned theater in Paris that still stands today.
As the name Lessert spread across France and into other parts of Europe, it continued to be associated with various occupations and professions. In the 19th century, Charles Lessert (1817-1890), a Swiss botanist and naturalist, made significant contributions to the field of plant taxonomy and classification.
Throughout its history, the surname Lessert has been carried by many individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from literature and arts to science and architecture. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings, its bearers have continued to shape the cultural and intellectual landscape of their respective regions and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lessert
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessert, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (37.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (19.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lessert 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 Lessert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.2% · 49
- Two or more races37.8% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native19.3% · 23
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lessert
Lessert 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+7 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,662 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,178 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 Lessert 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 | #130,610 | #142,788 | -9.3% |
| Count | 130 | 119 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lessert bearers went from 130 to 119 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #142,788.
FAQ
Lessert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lessert?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Lessert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Lessert?
Lessert ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Lessert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lessert.
Has Lessert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lessert went from 130 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Lessert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessert, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (37.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (19.3%). 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 Lessert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.2% (49 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lessert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (41.2%), Two or More Races (37.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (19.3%). 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 Lessert (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 Lessert mean?
A French locational surname derived from a place name referring to a grove or thicket. 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 Lessert (0.04 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 Lessert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.