2000
#12,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Leu
A Romanian surname derived from the word "leu," meaning "lion," likely referring to a courageous or fierce person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,721 Americans carry the last name Leu. That puts it at #12,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,966 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leu 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
2.7K
1 in 125,966
Census rank
#12,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,373 bearers of the surname Leu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leu, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leu
The surname LEU originated in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "leu" or "lewe," meaning "lion." This name initially referred to an individual with lion-like characteristics, such as strength, courage, or fierceness.
In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "Lewe" in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the year 1198. As the name spread across German territories, variations in spelling emerged, including Leuw, Leuwe, and Leu.
The Leu surname can be traced back to several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Hans Leu, a prominent merchant and town councillor in Nuremberg, who lived from 1450 to 1523. Another was Johann Michael Leu, a German engraver and publisher from Nuremberg, born in 1663 and renowned for his intricate copperplate engravings.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the town of Mühlhausen, where a family by the name of Leu owned a prosperous weaving business. One member of this family, Johannes Leu, was a respected master weaver who lived from 1520 to 1598.
The name also has connections to various place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Leuben in Saxony is believed to have derived its name from the surname Leu, suggesting that individuals bearing this name may have been among the earliest settlers in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Leu include:
1. Theodor Leu (1805-1871), a Swiss painter known for his landscapes and portraiture.
2. Alfred Leu (1872-1945), a Swiss architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Zürich.
3. Elisabeth Leu (1900-1994), a Swiss artist and sculptor known for her abstract works in stone and metal.
4. Hans Leu (1922-2004), a Swiss politician and member of the National Council of Switzerland.
5. Karin Leu (born 1955), a German novelist and children's book author, best known for her historical fiction.
While the surname LEU has its roots in Germany, it has spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, where the name originated and gained prominence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leu
Among Census respondents with the surname Leu, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Leu 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 Leu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.4% · 1,244
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.4% · 887
- Two or more races4.6% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 74
- Black or African American1.7% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leu
Leu 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
#12,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,459
+276 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 324 places
2020
#12,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,373
-86 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,911 | 2,183 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,587 | 2,459 | 0.83 | +276 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 324 places |
| 2020 | #12,475 | 2,373 | 0.79 | -86 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 112 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 Leu 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 | #12,587 | #12,475 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,459 | 2,373 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.79 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leu bearers went from 2,459 to 2,373 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,587 to #12,475.
FAQ
Leu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leu?
Name Census estimates that about 2,721 living Americans carry the surname Leu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,966 residents.
How common is Leu?
Leu ranks #12,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,373 people with the surname Leu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Leu.
Has Leu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leu went from 2,459 recorded bearers to 2,373. That is a decrease of 86 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,587 to #12,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Leu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leu, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Leu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.4% (1,244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (37.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Leu (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 Leu mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the word "leu," meaning "lion," likely referring to a courageous or fierce person. 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 Leu (0.79 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 Leu?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.