2000
#12,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Lichtenstein
A habitational surname referring to someone from Liechtenstein or various places named Lichtenstein, meaning "bright stone" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,823 Americans carry the last name Lichtenstein. That puts it at #12,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lichtenstein 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 Lichtenstein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,415
Census rank
#12,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,462 bearers of the surname Lichtenstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lichtenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lichtenstein
The surname Lichtenstein originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late Middle Ages or early modern period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Lichtenstein, which means "bright stone" or "shining rock" in German.
The name Lichtenstein was initially associated with various locations bearing that name, such as the municipality of Lichtenstein in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, or the village of Lichtenstein in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. These places were often named after prominent rock formations or castles situated on hilltops, which appeared bright or shining from a distance.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Lichtenstein can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. In this codex, a person named Henricus de Lychtenstein is mentioned in a document from 1290.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann von Lichtenstein, a 14th-century Bohemian knight and poet, known for his participation in the Crusades and his autobiographical work "Frauendienst" (Service to Ladies). He was born around 1310 and died in 1390.
In the 15th century, the Lichtenstein family rose to prominence as a noble dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire. They acquired various territories and played a significant role in the political and cultural life of Central Europe. Notable members include Hartmann von Lichtenstein (1415-1486), a German nobleman and military leader, and Maximilian von Lichtenstein (1578-1631), a Bavarian count and military commander during the Thirty Years' War.
The name Lichtenstein also has a connection to the Principality of Liechtenstein, a German-speaking microstate in Central Europe. While the ruling House of Liechtenstein traces its origins to the Castle of Liechtenstein in Lower Austria, some scholars suggest a possible link between the family name and the surname Lichtenstein.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lichtenstein include Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), an American pop artist known for his comic book-inspired paintings, and Walter Lichtenstein (1880-1939), an Austrian-American jurist and legal scholar.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lichtenstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Lichtenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lichtenstein 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 Lichtenstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,302
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 91
- Two or more races1.7% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein 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
#12,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
+134 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#12,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,462
+6 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 515 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,282 | 2,322 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,602 | 2,456 | 0.83 | +134 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #12,087 | 2,462 | 0.82 | +6 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 515 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 Lichtenstein 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 | #12,602 | #12,087 | 4.1% |
| Count | 2,456 | 2,462 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.82 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lichtenstein bearers went from 2,456 to 2,462 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 515 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,602 to #12,087.
FAQ
Lichtenstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lichtenstein?
Name Census estimates that about 2,823 living Americans carry the surname Lichtenstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,415 residents.
How common is Lichtenstein?
Lichtenstein ranks #12,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,462 people with the surname Lichtenstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Lichtenstein.
Has Lichtenstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lichtenstein went from 2,456 recorded bearers to 2,462. That is an increase of 6 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,602 to #12,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Lichtenstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lichtenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) 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 Lichtenstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,302 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lichtenstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), 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 Lichtenstein (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 Lichtenstein mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Liechtenstein or various places named Lichtenstein, meaning "bright stone" in German. 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 Lichtenstein (0.82 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 Americans have the surname Lichtenstein?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.