2000
#8,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,390
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Liss
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone living near a stream or ravine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,637 Americans carry the last name Liss. That puts it at #9,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,241 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liss 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
3.6K
1 in 94,241
Census rank
#9,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,172 bearers of the surname Liss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liss
The surname Liss is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "liss," meaning a lime or linden tree. This suggests that the name was initially used to identify individuals who lived near or owned land where linden trees grew.
One of the earliest known references to the Liss surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This record, dated 1275, mentions a certain "Henricus de Lisse," indicating the presence of the Liss family in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Lisse," "Lysse," and "Lys," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These variations were common during the Middle Ages, as standardized spelling was not yet established.
The Liss surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was Johann Liss (1597-1631), a German painter and etcher who was born in Oldenburg and became known for his religious and mythological works.
Another prominent figure was David Liss (1570-1629), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg in Wolfenbüttel.
In the 17th century, the Liss surname spread beyond Germany, with records showing its presence in other parts of Europe. For example, in England, there is mention of a Thomas Liss (1624-1685), a portrait painter who worked for the court of King Charles II.
The 18th century saw the emergence of the Liss surname in North America, with many German immigrants bearing the name settling in various regions, including Pennsylvania and New York.
One notable American with the Liss surname was Samuel Liss (1742-1816), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a member of the Massachusetts state legislature.
As the centuries progressed, the Liss surname continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, scholars, and professionals. Some other notable individuals with the Liss surname include:
1. Alfred Liss (1894-1961), an American literary critic and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
2. Reinhard Liss (1957-present), a German writer and philosopher known for his works on existentialism and phenomenology.
3. Emily Liss (1876-1954), an American suffragist and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social justice.
4. Hans Liss (1919-2003), a German-born American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liss
Among Census respondents with the surname Liss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Liss 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 Liss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,912
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 119
- Two or more races2.6% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liss
Liss 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
#9,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,472
+82 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 489 places
2020
#9,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,172
-300 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,879 | 3,390 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,368 | 3,472 | 1.18 | +82 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 489 places |
| 2020 | #9,760 | 3,172 | 1.06 | -300 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 392 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 Liss 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 | #9,368 | #9,760 | -4.2% |
| Count | 3,472 | 3,172 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.06 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liss bearers went from 3,472 to 3,172 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 392 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,368 to #9,760.
FAQ
Liss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liss?
Name Census estimates that about 3,637 living Americans carry the surname Liss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,241 residents.
How common is Liss?
Liss ranks #9,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,172 people with the surname Liss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,637), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Liss.
Has Liss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liss went from 3,472 recorded bearers to 3,172. That is a decrease of 300 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,368 to #9,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Liss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Liss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Liss (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 Liss mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone living near a stream or ravine. 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 Liss (1.06 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 common is the surname Liss?
Find out how many people have the last name Liss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.