2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lettrich
A surname of German origin likely derived from a topographic name referring to a muddy or swampy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Lettrich. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lettrich 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Lettrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lettrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lettrich
The surname Lettrich has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Bavaria and Austria, where it was initially spelled as Lettricher or Lettreicher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lettrich can be found in the parish records of the town of Regensburg, Bavaria, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a certain Hans Lettricher, who was a local merchant and landowner.
The name Lettrich is thought to be derived from the German word "Leder," which means leather, and the suffix "-richer," which suggests a person involved in the trade or production of leather goods. This indicates that the Lettrich surname may have initially been an occupational name for individuals who worked as tanners, leatherworkers, or merchants dealing in leather products.
In the 17th century, there are records of the Lettrich family residing in the region of Salzburg, Austria. Notable among them was Johann Lettrich (1615-1687), a respected scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Salzburg.
During the 18th century, some members of the Lettrich family migrated to other parts of Europe, including what is now the Czech Republic and Poland. One notable figure from this period was Karl Lettrich (1732-1801), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Prague.
Another prominent individual with the Lettrich surname was Friedrich Lettrich (1809-1872), a German historian and writer who authored several books on the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the Reformation.
In the 19th century, the Lettrich name also gained recognition in the field of music. Johann Lettrich (1842-1913) was a celebrated composer and conductor who worked in Vienna and wrote several operas and symphonic works.
As the Lettrich family spread across various regions of Europe, the spelling of the name evolved and adapted to local linguistic conventions. Some variations include Letrich, Letrych, and Letřich, but the core meaning and origin remained largely unchanged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lettrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Lettrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lettrich 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 Lettrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 95
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lettrich
Lettrich 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-19 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,369 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 27,369 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,834 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 Lettrich 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 | #153,769 | #150,935 | 1.8% |
| Count | 106 | 108 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lettrich bearers went from 106 to 108 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,935.
FAQ
Lettrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lettrich?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Lettrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Lettrich?
Lettrich ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Lettrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Lettrich.
Has Lettrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lettrich went from 106 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Lettrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lettrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Lettrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lettrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (5.6%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Lettrich (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 Lettrich mean?
A surname of German origin likely derived from a topographic name referring to a muddy or swampy area. 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 Lettrich (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 common is the surname Lettrich?
If you just want to know how common the surname Lettrich is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.