2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Libbrecht
A toponymic surname derived from the town of Libbricht near Cologne, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Libbrecht. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Libbrecht 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Libbrecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Libbrecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Libbrecht
The surname Libbrecht is of Dutch origin and can be traced back to the 14th century in the region of Flanders, Belgium. It is derived from the Old Dutch words "lief" meaning "dear" or "beloved" and "brecht" meaning "brightness" or "radiance." The name was likely given to someone who was considered a beloved and radiant person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Libbrecht can be found in the 1384 census records of Ghent, Belgium, where a man named Jan Libbrecht is listed as a merchant. Another early record dates back to 1412, where a Pieter Libbrecht is mentioned in the town archives of Bruges, Belgium, as a member of the local guild of weavers.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various Dutch and Flemish records, including the 1557 baptismal records of the Church of Our Lady in Antwerp, where a child named Joanna Libbrecht was baptized. The name also appears in the 1589 tax records of the city of Leiden, Netherlands, where a family with the surname Libbrecht is listed as residents.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Willem Libbrecht, a Dutch painter who lived from 1542 to 1602. He was known for his religious paintings and portraits commissioned by wealthy patrons in the Netherlands. Another notable figure was Jan Libbrecht, a Flemish theologian and philosopher who lived from 1615 to 1689 and served as a professor at the University of Leuven.
In the 18th century, a man named Pieter Libbrecht (1720-1795) achieved fame as a renowned architect in the Netherlands. He designed several notable buildings, including the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft and the Oude Kerk in Rotterdam. Another prominent individual was Jacob Libbrecht (1745-1824), a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who established several charitable foundations in Amsterdam.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a famous bearer of the name was Emiel Libbrecht (1876-1952), a Belgian artist known for his impressionist landscapes and portrait paintings. His works are displayed in several museums across Europe, including the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Libbrecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Libbrecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Libbrecht 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 Libbrecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Libbrecht
Libbrecht 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,701 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,701 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 15,442 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 Libbrecht 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 | #159,712 | #144,270 | 9.7% |
| Count | 101 | 117 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Libbrecht bearers went from 101 to 117 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 15,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Libbrecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Libbrecht?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Libbrecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Libbrecht?
Libbrecht ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Libbrecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Libbrecht.
Has Libbrecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Libbrecht went from 101 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 16 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Libbrecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Libbrecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Libbrecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Libbrecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Libbrecht (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 Libbrecht mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the town of Libbricht near Cologne, Germany. 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 Libbrecht (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 Libbrecht?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Libbrecht, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.