2000
#15,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Liberman
A surname of German or Ashkenazi Jewish origin meaning "beloved man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,127 Americans carry the last name Liberman. That puts it at #15,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liberman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Liberman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,144
Census rank
#15,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,855 bearers of the surname Liberman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liberman
The surname Liberman has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the areas of modern-day Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. It is likely derived from the German word "Liebe," meaning love, and the Yiddish suffix "man," indicating a person or someone associated with a particular occupation or characteristic.
This surname first appeared in historical records during the 16th and 17th centuries, when Jewish communities were becoming more established in this region. The name may have been adopted by individuals or families involved in professions related to love, such as matchmakers or marriage brokers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Liberman can be found in the Polish town of Lublin, where a Jewish community existed as early as the 15th century. In the 17th century, a prominent rabbi named Yehuda Liberman resided in this town and made significant contributions to Jewish scholarship.
Another notable figure from history with the surname Liberman was Abraham Liberman, a Polish-Jewish physician and scholar who lived in the 18th century. He was known for his expertise in medicine and his contributions to the study of the Talmud.
In the 19th century, the Liberman family gained prominence in the Russian Empire. Avram Liberman, a businessman and philanthropist born in 1826, was a prominent figure in the Jewish community of Odessa and was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and charitable organizations.
As Jewish communities migrated to other parts of the world, the surname Liberman spread to various countries. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Isaac Liberman, who immigrated from Russia in the late 19th century and became a successful businessman in New York City.
Another notable figure was Max Liberman, an American artist and printmaker born in 1887. He was a pioneer in the field of color woodcut printing and is celebrated for his vibrant depictions of urban life and landscapes.
Throughout history, the surname Liberman has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, businessmen, and community leaders. While the exact origin of the name may be open to interpretation, its presence in historical records spanning several centuries attests to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liberman
Among Census respondents with the surname Liberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Liberman 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 Liberman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,678
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 119
- Two or more races1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liberman
Liberman 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
#18,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,526
-219 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 2,806 places
2020
#15,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,855
+329 bearers (+21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 2,996 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,421 | 1,745 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,227 | 1,526 | 0.52 | -219 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 2,806 places |
| 2020 | #15,231 | 1,855 | 0.62 | +329 bearers (+21.6%) | Up 2,996 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 Liberman 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 | #18,227 | #15,231 | 16.4% |
| Count | 1,526 | 1,855 | 21.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.62 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liberman bearers went from 1,526 to 1,855 (+21.6% change). The surname moved up 2,996 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,227 to #15,231.
FAQ
Liberman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liberman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,127 living Americans carry the surname Liberman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,144 residents.
How common is Liberman?
Liberman ranks #15,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,855 people with the surname Liberman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Liberman.
Has Liberman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liberman went from 1,526 recorded bearers to 1,855. That is an increase of 329 (+21.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,227 to #15,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Liberman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Liberman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liberman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Liberman (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 Liberman mean?
A surname of German or Ashkenazi Jewish origin meaning "beloved man". 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 Liberman (0.62 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 Liberman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.