2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Libbee
A form of the surname Libby, itself derived from the French personal name Libaud.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Libbee. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Libbee 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Libbee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Libbee, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Libbee
The surname LIBBEE is believed to have originated in England, likely emerging in the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "leob," meaning "beloved" or "dear," potentially indicating an affectionate nickname given to an ancestor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LIBBEE can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, dated 1327, where a William Libby is mentioned. This suggests the surname was present in the West Midlands region during the medieval period.
In the 16th century, various spellings of the name appeared in historical records, such as Libbie, Libbey, and Libbee. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.
The LIBBEE surname has been connected to several place names in England, including Libby in Shropshire and Libbytown in Yorkshire. These locations may have influenced the development of the surname or provided a source for its adoption.
One notable figure bearing the LIBBEE surname was John Libbee, a prominent merchant and landowner from Norfolk, who lived in the late 15th century. Another individual of note was Richard Libbee, a scholar and clergyman born in Oxfordshire in 1602.
During the 17th century, several members of the LIBBEE family were involved in the English Civil War. Records show that Edward Libbee fought for the Parliamentarian forces, while his brother Thomas supported the Royalists.
In the 18th century, the LIBBEE surname gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Libbee (1712-1789), a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Libbee (1765-1841), a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in London, advocating for equal educational opportunities for women.
As the LIBBEE surname spread across Britain, it was carried by emigrants to various parts of the world, including the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, where it took root and continued to flourish.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Libbee
Among Census respondents with the surname Libbee, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Libbee 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 Libbee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Libbee
Libbee 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,685 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,685 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,086 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 Libbee 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 | #151,532 | #149,446 | 1.4% |
| Count | 108 | 110 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Libbee bearers went from 108 to 110 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #149,446.
FAQ
Libbee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Libbee?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Libbee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Libbee?
Libbee ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Libbee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Libbee.
Has Libbee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Libbee went from 108 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Libbee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Libbee, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Libbee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Libbee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Libbee (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 Libbee mean?
A form of the surname Libby, itself derived from the French personal name Libaud. 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 Libbee (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 people are called Libbee?
See how common the surname Libbee is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.