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

Lieb, 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 Lieb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lieb in America

Lieb is the 10044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lieb surname appeared 3,207 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 Lieb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lieb 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 Lieb

The surname Lieb has its origins in Germany, traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "liob," meaning "dear" or "beloved." This term was commonly used as a pet name or as a descriptive nickname for someone who was well-liked or affectionate.

In the early medieval period, the Lieb name was first recorded in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland regions of Germany. As surnames became more widespread in the 12th and 13th centuries, variations like Liebe, Lieben, and Liebchen emerged as localized spellings.

One of the earliest documented references to the Lieb name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Ravennatensis, a medieval record of property transactions from the Archdiocese of Ravenna, Italy, dating back to the 10th century. This manuscript mentions individuals with the surname Lieb who were involved in land transfers or legal agreements.

In the 14th century, a merchant named Hans Lieb was recorded in the city of Nuremberg, Bavaria. He was a respected member of the local guild and traded in textiles and spices. Around the same time, records show a family of landowners named Lieb residing in the village of Mittelbach, near Stuttgart.

During the Renaissance period, the Lieb name gained prominence through notable scholars and artists. One such figure was Johann Lieb (1545-1612), a German philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Tübingen and authored several influential works on ethics and metaphysics.

Another noteworthy individual was Georg Lieb (1673-1748), a German baroque painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works. His paintings can be found in churches and museums across southern Germany and Austria.

In the 19th century, Carl Lieb (1820-1898), a German-American entrepreneur, founded the successful Lieb Brewing Company in Philadelphia, which became one of the largest breweries in the United States before Prohibition.

The Lieb surname has also been associated with several geographical locations, such as the town of Liebstadt (formerly Liebenau) in Saxony, which derived its name from the Lieb family who were early settlers in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lieb

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

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 Lieb 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 Lieb 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 Lieb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!