Find out how popular the last name Liz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Liz.

Liz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Liz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Liz in America

Liz is the 26362nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Liz surname appeared 926 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Liz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Liz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Liz

The surname Liz originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "lis," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a meadow or worked as a shepherd.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a William le Liz in Oxfordshire. This spelling variation, "le Liz," was common during the Middle Ages and indicated that the person was "of the meadow."

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which listed a John Liz in Worcestershire. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662 also recorded a Thomas Liz in Gloucestershire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was sometimes spelled as "Lize" or "Lyes," which may have been influenced by the Old French word "liz," meaning "bed" or "couch." This could suggest that some bearers of the name may have been associated with the textile or bedding industry.

One notable individual with the surname Liz was John Liz (1565-1626), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Commentary on the Book of Judges" and "A Treatise on the Lord's Supper."

Another person of historical significance was Thomas Liz (1671-1747), a British architect who designed several churches and buildings in London, including St. George's Church in Bloomsbury.

In the 19th century, the name was found in various records, such as the 1841 Census of England and Wales, which listed a family named Liz residing in Gloucestershire.

One prominent figure with the surname Liz was Sir Edmund Liz (1820-1892), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for West Somerset from 1868 to 1880.

The surname Liz has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Liz Lea in Staffordshire and Liz Hill in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its connection to meadows and pastures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Liz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Liz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Liz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Liz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Liz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Liz, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!