2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Liesegang
An occupational German surname referring to one who dyed or colored cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Liesegang. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liesegang 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Liesegang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liesegang, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liesegang
The surname Liesegang is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was derived from the Low German word "liesegangen," which referred to fields or pastures along a stream or small river.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Liesegang can be found in the municipal records of the town of Zwickau, Saxony, dating back to the year 1567. These records mention a certain Hans Liesegang, a local farmer and landowner.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Liesegang remained predominantly concentrated in the areas of Saxony and neighboring regions of central Germany. During this period, the name appeared in various church records, tax rolls, and other official documents, often spelled in slightly different variations, such as "Liesegange," "Lysegange," or "Liesegangk."
In the early 19th century, a notable individual bearing the surname Liesegang was Johann Christian Liesegang (1780-1858), a German-born physician and author who published several medical treatises and served as a military doctor during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the 19th century progressed, the Liesegang family began to spread beyond their traditional homeland, with some members migrating to other parts of Germany and even to neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this era was the German chemist Raphael Eduard Liesegang (1869-1947), best known for his work on periodic precipitation reactions, which led to the discovery of the "Liesegang rings" phenomenon.
In the 20th century, the surname Liesegang continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including academics, artists, and professionals. Notable examples include the German painter and graphic artist Hans Liesegang (1903-1987), and the American physicist and educator Ralph M. Liesegang (1924-2005), who served as a professor at the University of New Mexico.
Throughout its history, the surname Liesegang has been associated with a diverse range of individuals, from humble farmers and landowners to accomplished scholars and professionals, reflecting the rich tapestry of German heritage and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liesegang
Among Census respondents with the surname Liesegang, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Liesegang 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 Liesegang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liesegang
Liesegang 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,662 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-17 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,598 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 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 14,598 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 Liesegang 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 | #140,157 | #154,755 | -10.4% |
| Count | 119 | 102 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liesegang bearers went from 119 to 102 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 14,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #154,755.
FAQ
Liesegang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liesegang?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Liesegang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Liesegang?
Liesegang ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Liesegang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Liesegang.
Has Liesegang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liesegang went from 119 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Liesegang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liesegang, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Liesegang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liesegang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Liesegang (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 Liesegang mean?
An occupational German surname referring to one who dyed or colored cloth. 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 Liesegang (0.03 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 Liesegang?
Want to know how many people have the last name Liesegang? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.