2000
#3,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.10
Rare Last name
Lieberman
A German and Jewish surname derived from the German word "lieber," meaning "beloved" or "dear one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,211 Americans carry the last name Lieberman. That puts it at #4,272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lieberman 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 Lieberman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,211
Census rank
#4,272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,032 bearers of the surname Lieberman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lieberman
The surname Lieberman is of German and Ashkenazic Jewish origin, derived from the Middle High German word "lieb" meaning "dear" or "beloved" and the German suffix "-man" meaning "man." It emerged in the late Middle Ages as a descriptive surname, likely given to someone who was regarded as a beloved or esteemed member of the community.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lieberman date back to the 16th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It was commonly found in Jewish communities, as many Ashkenazi Jews adopted German surnames during this period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lieberman can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the late 16th century, where a family by the name of Lieberman is mentioned as residing in the Jewish quarter.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Lieberman began to spread across Central and Eastern Europe, as Jewish communities migrated and settled in various regions. Some variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Liebermann, Liebermann, and Liberman.
Notable individuals with the surname Lieberman throughout history include Max Liebermann (1847-1935), a famous German painter and printmaker associated with the Impressionist and Realist movements. Another prominent figure was Avigdor Lieberman (born 1958), an Israeli politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Defense.
Other historical figures include Samuel Lieberman (1872-1940), a Polish-born American rabbi and scholar who served as the president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Elias Lieberman (1883-1959), a Russian-born American chemist and inventor known for his contributions to the development of synthetic rubber.
The name Lieberman has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history. For example, the town of Lieberman in Poland, formerly known as Liebermann, was named after a Jewish family who owned land in the area during the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lieberman
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lieberman 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 Lieberman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 7,539
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 214
- Two or more races2.0% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 67
- Black or African American0.5% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lieberman
Lieberman 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
#4,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,302
-61 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#4,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,032
-270 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,905 | 8,363 | 3.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,282 | 8,302 | 2.81 | -61 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #4,272 | 8,032 | 2.69 | -270 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 10 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 Lieberman 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 | #4,282 | #4,272 | 0.2% |
| Count | 8,302 | 8,032 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.81 | 2.69 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lieberman bearers went from 8,302 to 8,032 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,282 to #4,272.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lieberman
FAQ
Lieberman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lieberman?
Name Census estimates that about 9,211 living Americans carry the surname Lieberman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,211 residents.
How common is Lieberman?
Lieberman ranks #4,272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,032 people with the surname Lieberman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lieberman.
Has Lieberman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lieberman went from 8,302 recorded bearers to 8,032. That is a decrease of 270 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,282 to #4,272.
What does the Census say about the background of Lieberman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Lieberman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (7,539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lieberman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Lieberman (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 Lieberman mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the German word "lieber," meaning "beloved" or "dear one." 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 Lieberman (2.69 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 Lieberman?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Lieberman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.