2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lietch
A surname referring to a person from the German region of Lietch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Lietch. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lietch 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Lietch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lietch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lietch
The surname Lietch is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "leoht," meaning "light" or "bright." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a bright personality or fair complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lietch can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and wealth compiled in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a certain Leofric Leoht, who held lands in Berkshire.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Lecht, Leyght, and Lighte, reflecting the phonetic spelling conventions of the time. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Lighte, a knight who fought alongside Edward I during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname began to take on its modern spelling of Lietch. Records from this period include a William Lietch, who was a member of the Guild of Weavers in York in 1379.
The 16th century saw the rise of a prominent family of Lietches in Gloucestershire. Thomas Lietch (1520-1592) was a successful merchant and landowner, and his descendants played an active role in local affairs for several generations.
Another notable figure with the surname Lietch was Sir Edward Lietch (1630-1692), a Member of Parliament and staunch Royalist during the English Civil War. He was knighted by King Charles II in recognition of his loyalty and service.
In the 18th century, the Lietch family established itself in the county of Yorkshire. John Lietch (1712-1785) was a successful businessman and philanthropist who endowed several schools and charitable institutions in the region.
The 19th century brought further prominence to the Lietch name, with William Lietch (1810-1876) serving as the Mayor of York from 1865 to 1867. His son, Henry Lietch (1842-1918), was a respected lawyer and judge who presided over several high-profile cases.
Over the centuries, the surname Lietch has been associated with various place names and locations across England, including Lietch Priory in Gloucestershire, Lietch Manor in Yorkshire, and the village of Lietchfield in Staffordshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lietch
Among Census respondents with the surname Lietch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lietch 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 Lietch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 88
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lietch
Lietch 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
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-3 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,526 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 4,526 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 Lietch 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 | #160,975 | #156,449 | 2.8% |
| Count | 100 | 97 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lietch bearers went from 100 to 97 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 4,526 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #156,449.
FAQ
Lietch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lietch?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Lietch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Lietch?
Lietch ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Lietch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Lietch.
Has Lietch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lietch went from 100 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 3 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Lietch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lietch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Lietch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lietch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Lietch (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 Lietch mean?
A surname referring to a person from the German region of Lietch. 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 Lietch (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 are called Lietch?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Lietch is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.