Find out how popular the last name Licht is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Licht.

Licht, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Licht surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Licht in America

Licht is the 11753rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Licht surname appeared 2,665 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Licht.

We can also compare 2010 data for Licht to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Licht

The surname Licht is of German origin, derived from the German word "licht," meaning "light." It first appeared in the late 12th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg in 1298, where a certain Hans Licht is mentioned as a local merchant. Another early reference comes from a 14th-century manuscript in Regensburg, which mentions a family of dyers named Licht.

The name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked with candles, lanterns, or other sources of light. Alternatively, it could have been a descriptive surname referring to someone with fair hair or a bright complexion.

In the 16th century, the Licht family was prominent in the city of Augsburg, where they were involved in the textile trade. A notable member of this family was Johannes Licht (1527-1599), a successful merchant and city councilor.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Licht name spread throughout various German states, including Prussia, Hesse, and Saxony. One notable figure from this period was Johann Gottfried Licht (1711-1783), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Saxe-Gotha.

In the 19th century, the Licht surname can be found among German immigrants to the United States and other parts of the world. One prominent American with this name was Frank Licht (1924-1987), who served as the governor of Rhode Island from 1969 to 1973.

Other historical figures with the Licht surname include Hans Licht (1889-1952), a German politician and member of the Nazi party; and Kurt Licht (1928-2011), a German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of optics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Licht

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Licht.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Licht was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Licht has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Licht was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Licht, please contact us.

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