2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Libel
A surname of possible English origin meaning a defamatory statement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Libel. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Libel 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Libel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Libel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Libel
The surname LIBEL is believed to have originated in Scotland, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be a Scottish variant of the English surname LIBLE, which itself is derived from the Old English word "libel" meaning a small book or scroll.
The earliest known record of the name LIBEL appears in the Registry of Deeds for the county of Stirlingshire in 1623, where a John Libel is mentioned as having purchased a parcel of land. Another early reference is found in the parish records of Inveraray in Argyll, where a Margaret Libel was listed as having been born in 1657.
In the late 17th century, the name LIBEL can be found in various Scottish legal documents and court records. One notable example is the trial of James Libel in 1694, who was accused of sedition and disseminating anti-government pamphlets during the reign of King William III.
By the 18th century, the LIBEL surname had spread throughout the Scottish Lowlands and into northern England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Libel (1702-1779), a merchant and landowner from Glasgow who was involved in the city's thriving tobacco trade.
Another prominent individual with this surname was William Libel (1762-1835), a Scottish poet and writer from Ayrshire who published several volumes of poetry and prose during his lifetime. His works are notable for their romanticized depictions of Scottish rural life and culture.
In the 19th century, the LIBEL name appeared in various parts of the British Empire as Scottish immigrants and settlers carried the surname with them. One such individual was Alexander Libel (1821-1892), a Scottish-born politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in Australia for nearly two decades.
Other notable bearers of the LIBEL surname include Margaret Libel (1879-1958), a Scottish suffragist and activist for women's rights, and Thomas Libel (1897-1971), a British Army officer who served with distinction during both World War I and World War II, earning numerous medals and commendations for his service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Libel
Among Census respondents with the surname Libel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Libel 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 Libel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 12
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Libel
Libel 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+7 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,696 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-28 bearers (-19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,603 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 2,696 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-19.0%) | Down 24,603 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 Libel 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 | #118,185 | #142,788 | -20.8% |
| Count | 147 | 119 | -19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Libel bearers went from 147 to 119 (-19.0% change). The surname moved down 24,603 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #142,788.
FAQ
Libel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Libel?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Libel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Libel?
Libel ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Libel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Libel.
Has Libel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Libel went from 147 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 28 (-19.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,185 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Libel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Libel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Libel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Libel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (10.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Libel (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 Libel mean?
A surname of possible English origin meaning a defamatory statement. 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 Libel (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 share the surname Libel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.