2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lieblein
A German surname meaning "little beloved one" or "little dear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Lieblein. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lieblein 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Lieblein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieblein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lieblein
The surname Lieblein is of German origin, with its earliest known usage dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "lieblich," which means "lovely" or "pleasant." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname upon someone with a pleasing personality or appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lieblein surname can be found in the archives of the town of Mühlhausen, located in the central German state of Thuringia. In a municipal record from 1587, a certain Hans Lieblein is mentioned as a resident of the town.
The Lieblein name also appears in various historical documents from other parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Bavaria. In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Johann Lieblein, a Lutheran theologian and author who was born in Nuremberg in 1713 and died in 1788.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Lieblein, a German-born Egyptologist who lived from 1844 to 1910. He spent a significant portion of his career in Egypt, where he conducted archaeological excavations and studied ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and inscriptions.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Lieblein surname was Wilhelm Lieblein, a German-American entrepreneur and philanthropist. Born in 1825 in Baden, Germany, he emigrated to the United States in 1848 and went on to establish a successful business in the textile industry. He became known for his charitable contributions to various educational and cultural institutions.
The name Lieblein has also been associated with certain place names in Germany, such as the village of Liebleinsmühle in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. This locality likely derived its name from a person or family bearing the Lieblein surname who may have lived or owned property there in the past.
While the Lieblein surname is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a long and rich history, with its origins rooted in the German language and culture. The name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, authors, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of German and global history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lieblein
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieblein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lieblein 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 Lieblein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 104
- Black or African American5.0% · 6
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lieblein
Lieblein 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-11 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,129 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-13 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -11 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 15,129 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 13,815 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 Lieblein 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 | #127,494 | #141,309 | -10.8% |
| Count | 134 | 121 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lieblein bearers went from 134 to 121 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 13,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #141,309.
FAQ
Lieblein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lieblein?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Lieblein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Lieblein?
Lieblein ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Lieblein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Lieblein.
Has Lieblein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lieblein went from 134 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Lieblein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieblein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Lieblein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lieblein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Lieblein (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 Lieblein mean?
A German surname meaning "little beloved one" or "little dear". 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 Lieblein (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 Lieblein?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.