2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Liester
A surname derived from a place name, possibly the town of Liester in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Liester. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liester 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Liester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liester, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liester
The surname Liester has its origins in Germany and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly a variant spelling of the town of Liesa in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The name may also be derived from the Germanic word "liser," meaning a gentle slope or hill.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Liester can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various forms, such as Lisere, Liesere, and Liestern, indicating its evolution over time.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Johann Liester (c. 1420-1489) was a notable jurist and legal scholar in the city of Nuremberg. He played a significant role in the development of the German legal system and authored several influential works on civil law.
During the 16th century, Matthias Liester (1542-1612) was a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was known for his contributions to the study of the Bible and his writings on Protestant theology.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hans Liester (1615-1686), a German painter and engraver from the city of Augsburg. His works, primarily depicting religious and mythological scenes, were widely admired during his lifetime and can be found in various museums across Europe.
Another prominent figure was Johann Georg Liester (1723-1796), a German composer and organist from the city of Leipzig. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to the development of sacred music in the Lutheran tradition.
The surname Liester has also been associated with several place names throughout Germany, such as Liesterort, Liesterbachen, and Liestermühle, further reinforcing its geographical roots and connection to specific regions within the country.
While the name Liester may have originated from a specific location or word, it has since spread across various regions of Germany and beyond, with individuals bearing this surname contributing to various fields, including law, theology, art, and music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liester
Among Census respondents with the surname Liester, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Liester 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 Liester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liester
Liester 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,321 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-22 bearers (-17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,321 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-17.1%) | Down 20,260 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 Liester 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 | #131,379 | #151,639 | -15.4% |
| Count | 129 | 107 | -17.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liester bearers went from 129 to 107 (-17.1% change). The surname moved down 20,260 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #151,639.
FAQ
Liester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liester?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Liester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Liester?
Liester ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Liester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Liester.
Has Liester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liester went from 129 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Liester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liester, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Liester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (6.5%), Black (1.9%). 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 Liester (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 Liester mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly the town of Liester in Germany. 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 Liester (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 Liester?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.