2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Luetje
A Dutch surname meaning "small" or "little".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Luetje. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luetje 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Luetje in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luetje, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luetje
The surname LUETJE originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. It first emerged around the 13th century as a descriptive surname derived from the Low German word "lütje," meaning "little" or "small."
The earliest recorded instances of the LUETJE surname can be traced back to historical documents from the medieval period, such as municipal records and tax rolls. One notable example is a reference to a Hinrich Luetje in the city archives of Lübeck, dated 1376.
The name LUETJE was often associated with individuals of smaller stature or those who were younger or lesser in rank or status within their communities. It may have also been used to distinguish between members of the same family or to identify someone who lived in a smaller or lesser-known location.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, including Lütje, Lütjen, and Lütjens. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local scribal conventions.
Notable individuals with the LUETJE surname throughout history include Johann Luetje (1609-1677), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. Another prominent figure was Hinrich Luetje (1796-1868), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded a successful shipping company in Bremen.
In the 19th century, the LUETJE surname gained recognition through the works of August Luetje (1824-1892), a German poet and writer who published several collections of poetry and prose. His literary contributions helped to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Lower Saxony.
The name LUETJE also appears in various historical records and documents related to the German diaspora, as many individuals with this surname emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas during the 19th and early 20th centuries, seeking new opportunities and better living conditions.
One notable individual from this era was Heinrich Luetje (1876-1947), a German-American businessman who established a successful furniture manufacturing company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and played a significant role in the local German-American community.
Throughout its history, the LUETJE surname has remained closely tied to its Northern German roots, reflecting the cultural traditions and linguistic heritage of the region from which it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luetje
Among Census respondents with the surname Luetje, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Luetje 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 Luetje surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 111
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luetje
Luetje 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
+18 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,362 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-15 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 7,362 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,116 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 Luetje 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 | #146,495 | -11.5% |
| Count | 129 | 114 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luetje bearers went from 129 to 114 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #146,495.
FAQ
Luetje surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luetje?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Luetje. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Luetje?
Luetje ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Luetje. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Luetje.
Has Luetje become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luetje went from 129 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Luetje?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luetje, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Luetje in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luetje appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Black (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Luetje (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 Luetje mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "small" or "little". 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 Luetje (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 are called Luetje?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Luetje is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.