2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leyerle
A locational surname derived from a German place name with the common element "Ley" meaning "hill slope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Leyerle. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leyerle 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Leyerle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyerle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leyerle
The surname Leyerle originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "lëri," meaning "clay" or "loam." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with clay soil.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leyerle can be found in the town of Kirchheim unter Teck, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In a document dated 1372, a certain "Hannß Leyerle" was mentioned as a resident of the town.
In the 15th century, the name Leyerle appeared in various records from the region of Swabia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. A notable bearer of the name during this period was Hans Leyerle, a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Ulm, who lived from 1420 to 1493.
As the centuries passed, the Leyerle surname spread to other parts of Germany and beyond. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in the city of Nuremberg, where they became involved in the flourishing metalworking industry.
One of the most prominent figures in the history of the Leyerle name was Johann Leyerle, a renowned German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1625 to 1697. He served as a professor at the University of Altdorf and was widely respected for his scholarly works on ethics and natural law.
Another notable bearer of the Leyerle surname was Karl Leyerle, a German-American artist who was born in 1845 and died in 1916. He is best known for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting scenes from the American West.
In the 19th century, members of the Leyerle family began immigrating to the United States, where the name took on various spellings, such as Leyerle, Leyerla, and Leyerli. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Leyerle, who arrived in New York from Germany in 1853.
Throughout its history, the Leyerle surname has been borne by numerous individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, merchants, and landowners. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings, it has since become associated with a rich cultural heritage and a diverse range of achievements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leyerle
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyerle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Leyerle 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 Leyerle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 103
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leyerle
Leyerle 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+13 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,319 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-19 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 2,319 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 18,174 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 Leyerle 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 | #129,047 | #147,221 | -14.1% |
| Count | 132 | 113 | -14.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leyerle bearers went from 132 to 113 (-14.4% change). The surname moved down 18,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #147,221.
FAQ
Leyerle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leyerle?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Leyerle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Leyerle?
Leyerle ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Leyerle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Leyerle.
Has Leyerle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leyerle went from 132 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Leyerle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyerle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Leyerle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leyerle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Black (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Leyerle (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 Leyerle mean?
A locational surname derived from a German place name with the common element "Ley" meaning "hill slope." 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 Leyerle (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 Leyerle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.