2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Liedy
From a surname based on a variant of the name Ludwig or Louis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Liedy. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liedy 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Liedy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liedy
The surname LIEDY is believed to have originated in Germany, likely emerging in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic word "leute," meaning "people" or "folk," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived among or worked with the common people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 16th-century parish register from the town of Lübeck, where a certain Hans Liedy was mentioned. This region of northern Germany is considered a potential area of origin for the surname.
Another early record dates back to the late 15th century, when a Johannes Liedy was documented in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, located in the southern German state of Bavaria. This suggests that the name may have spread across different regions of Germany during its early history.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Liedy (1624-1677) was a prominent theologian and author from Saxony, known for his influential works on Lutheran doctrine and ethics.
Moving into the 18th century, a military officer named Wilhelm Liedy (1738-1804) served in the Prussian army and fought in the Seven Years' War. He later became a respected military strategist and author on military tactics.
In the 19th century, a German artist named Karl Liedy (1819-1883) achieved recognition for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting scenes from the Black Forest region in southwestern Germany.
It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Liedey, Liedtke, or Liedi, may have existed in earlier times due to regional differences and inconsistencies in record-keeping.
While the name LIEDY is not as widespread as some other German surnames, it has left its mark on history through individuals who contributed to various fields, from theology and military strategy to art and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liedy
Among Census respondents with the surname Liedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Liedy 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 Liedy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 77
- Black or African American25.9% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liedy
Liedy 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,613 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 15,613 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Liedy 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liedy bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Liedy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liedy?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Liedy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Liedy?
Liedy ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Liedy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Liedy.
Has Liedy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liedy went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Liedy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Liedy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liedy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Black (25.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Liedy (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 Liedy mean?
From a surname based on a variant of the name Ludwig or Louis. 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 Liedy (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 have the last name Liedy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Liedy is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.