2000
#30,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Liebe
A German surname meaning "love" or "beloved".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 878 Americans carry the last name Liebe. That puts it at #32,238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 390,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liebe 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
878
1 in 390,381
Census rank
#32,238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
766
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 766 bearers of the surname Liebe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liebe
The surname LIEBE traces its origins to Germany, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "liebe," which means "love" or "affection." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname given to someone known for their loving or affectionate nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LIEBE can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, a certain "Henricus Liebe" is mentioned in a document from 1241.
During the Middle Ages, the LIEBE surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia in central Germany. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas and then spread to other parts of the country through migration and trade.
In the 15th century, the surname LIEBE appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain "Hans Liebe" was mentioned as a merchant in 1472. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence among the merchant class by that time.
One notable historical figure with the surname LIEBE was Johann Liebe (1615-1672), a German theologian and poet who served as a court preacher in Dresden. His works, including religious poetry and sermons, were widely published and influential during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Christian Liebe (1738-1816), a German composer and organist who was active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is particularly known for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to the development of church music in Germany.
In the realm of literature, the surname LIEBE is associated with Gustav Theodor Liebe (1828-1900), a German author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories. His works often explored themes of social criticism and the lives of ordinary people.
The name LIEBE can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as Liebenburg, Liebenau, and Liebenwalde. These place names may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.
Throughout history, several variations and spellings of the name LIEBE have been documented, including Lieb, Liebs, Liebchen, and Liebchen. These variations reflect regional differences and changes in spelling conventions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liebe
Among Census respondents with the surname Liebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Liebe 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 Liebe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 692
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 39
- Two or more races3.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liebe
Liebe 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
#29,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 794
+66 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 663 places
2020
#32,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 766
-28 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 2,577 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,324 | 728 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,661 | 794 | 0.27 | +66 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 663 places |
| 2020 | #32,238 | 766 | 0.26 | -28 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 2,577 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 Liebe 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 | #29,661 | #32,238 | -8.7% |
| Count | 794 | 766 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.26 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liebe bearers went from 794 to 766 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 2,577 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,661 to #32,238.
FAQ
Liebe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liebe?
Name Census estimates that about 878 living Americans carry the surname Liebe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 390,381 residents.
How common is Liebe?
Liebe ranks #32,238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 766 people with the surname Liebe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (878), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Liebe.
Has Liebe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liebe went from 794 recorded bearers to 766. That is a decrease of 28 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,661 to #32,238.
What does the Census say about the background of Liebe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Liebe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liebe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Liebe (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 Liebe mean?
A German surname meaning "love" or "beloved". 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 Liebe (0.26 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 common is the surname Liebe?
Find out how many people have the last name Liebe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.