2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lieman
A German surname derived from the words "lie" meaning meadow and "man" meaning person, referring to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Lieman. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lieman 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Lieman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.3%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lieman
The surname Lieman originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "lieman," which means "a linden tree." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify families or individuals who lived near or owned land with linden trees growing on it.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Lieman surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Duchy of Saxony. In this record, a person named Hermannus Lieman is mentioned in a legal document dated 1281.
In the 14th century, the Lieman surname appeared in various German records, such as the Nuremberg Annals, where a Johannes Lieman is mentioned as a respected citizen of the city in 1348. This indicates that the name had gained some prominence during this period.
During the 15th century, the Lieman surname spread across different regions of Germany. In 1462, a man named Hans Lieman was recorded as a merchant in the city of Cologne. Around the same time, a Petrus Lieman was listed as a landowner in the town of Würzburg.
One notable figure with the Lieman surname was Johann Lieman, a German theologian and professor who lived from 1556 to 1622. He taught at the University of Marburg and authored several scholarly works on theology and philosophy.
Another individual of historical significance was Christoph Lieman, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1617 to 1687. He is known for his portraits and religious paintings, some of which can still be found in galleries and churches across Germany.
In the 18th century, a man named Johann Friedrich Lieman, born in 1735, became a prominent architect and engineer. He was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in various German cities.
As the Lieman surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Liemann, Leman, and Lehmann. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic differences.
Throughout its long history, the Lieman surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, merchants, and landowners. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, the name continues to be a part of the German cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lieman
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.3%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lieman 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 Lieman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.3% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lieman
Lieman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 11,047 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 Lieman 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 | #159,712 | #148,665 | 6.9% |
| Count | 101 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lieman bearers went from 101 to 111 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 11,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Lieman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lieman?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Lieman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Lieman?
Lieman ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Lieman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Lieman.
Has Lieman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lieman went from 101 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 10 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Lieman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.3%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Lieman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lieman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.3%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Lieman (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 Lieman mean?
A German surname derived from the words "lie" meaning meadow and "man" meaning person, referring to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow. 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 Lieman (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 Lieman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.