2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lichtensteiger
A German surname meaning "someone from Lichtenstein" or "someone living near a light mountain".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Lichtensteiger. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lichtensteiger 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Lichtensteiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lichtensteiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lichtensteiger
The surname Lichtensteiger originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in Switzerland and parts of southern Germany. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries.
The name Lichtensteiger is derived from the combination of two German words: "licht" meaning light or bright, and "steiger" which refers to a climber, ascender, or someone who ascends. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived or worked in a bright or well-lit area, perhaps on a mountainside or elevated location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the city of Zurich, Switzerland, dated around 1420, which mentions a certain "Hans Lichtensteiger." This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 15th century in the Swiss-German region.
Another early reference comes from the village of Oberried, located in the Black Forest region of Germany, where a family named Lichtensteiger is mentioned in local records dating back to the late 16th century. This indicates that the name had spread to neighboring areas of southern Germany by that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Johann Lichtensteiger, a Swiss theologian and educator born in 1623 in Zurich. He served as a professor at the Carolinum, a prestigious school in his hometown.
During the 18th century, a family of Lichtensteiger clockmakers and craftsmen were active in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. Their intricate timepieces and woodcarvings were highly regarded throughout Europe during that period.
Another prominent individual was Jakob Lichtensteiger, born in 1795 in the Swiss village of Teufen. He was a renowned alpinist and mountain guide who made significant contributions to the exploration and mapping of the Swiss Alps in the early 19th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name appeared in various records across Switzerland and southern Germany, indicating that it remained a well-established surname in those regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lichtensteiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Lichtensteiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lichtensteiger 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 Lichtensteiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lichtensteiger
Lichtensteiger appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 7,029 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 Lichtensteiger 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 | #157,234 | #150,205 | 4.5% |
| Count | 103 | 109 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lichtensteiger bearers went from 103 to 109 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 7,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,205.
FAQ
Lichtensteiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lichtensteiger?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Lichtensteiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Lichtensteiger?
Lichtensteiger ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Lichtensteiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Lichtensteiger.
Has Lichtensteiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lichtensteiger went from 103 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Lichtensteiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lichtensteiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Lichtensteiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lichtensteiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Lichtensteiger (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 Lichtensteiger mean?
A German surname meaning "someone from Lichtenstein" or "someone living near a light mountain". 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 Lichtensteiger (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 Lichtensteiger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.