2000
#29,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Leiner
A German surname derived from the place name Leine, referring to someone from that area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 919 Americans carry the last name Leiner. That puts it at #31,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 372,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leiner 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
919
1 in 372,964
Census rank
#31,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
801
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 801 bearers of the surname Leiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leiner
The surname LEINER is of German origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old German word "leinen," meaning "linen" or "flax," suggesting that the original bearers of this name were likely involved in the linen trade or worked with flax cultivation.
The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where the textile industry was prominent during the medieval period. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents, such as parish records and town registries from these areas.
One notable early reference to the LEINER surname can be found in the Württembergisches Klosterbuch, a 17th-century manuscript detailing the history of monasteries in the region of Württemberg. The manuscript mentions a certain Johann LEINER, who lived in the town of Esslingen in the mid-1600s.
In the 18th century, the LEINER name began to spread beyond the German states, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Hans LEINER, a Bavarian weaver who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1750s and became a respected member of the local German community.
Another notable figure with the LEINER surname was Karl LEINER (1808-1880), a German painter and lithographer from Saxony. His works, which often depicted landscapes and rural scenes, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and can be found in various museums across Germany.
The 19th century saw the rise of several influential LEINER families in various fields. One example is the Austrian LEINER family, which established a successful textile manufacturing business in the city of Linz. The company, founded by Johann LEINER (1815-1887), remained a prominent presence in the Austrian textile industry for over a century.
In the realm of academia, Otto LEINER (1857-1919) was a renowned German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the study of electrodynamics and the theory of relativity. His works were widely studied and referenced by fellow scientists of his time.
As the LEINER surname spread across Europe and beyond, it has been associated with various professions and industries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of its bearers throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Leiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Leiner 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 Leiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 734
- Two or more races3.6% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leiner
Leiner 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
#32,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 716
-47 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,966 places
2020
#31,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 801
+85 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,237 | 763 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,203 | 716 | 0.24 | -47 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 2,966 places |
| 2020 | #31,051 | 801 | 0.27 | +85 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 1,152 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 Leiner 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 | #32,203 | #31,051 | 3.6% |
| Count | 716 | 801 | 11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.27 | 11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leiner bearers went from 716 to 801 (+11.9% change). The surname moved up 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,203 to #31,051.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Leiner
FAQ
Leiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leiner?
Name Census estimates that about 919 living Americans carry the surname Leiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 372,964 residents.
How common is Leiner?
Leiner ranks #31,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 801 people with the surname Leiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (919), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Leiner.
Has Leiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leiner went from 716 recorded bearers to 801. That is an increase of 85 (+11.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #32,203 to #31,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Leiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Leiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Leiner (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 Leiner mean?
A German surname derived from the place name Leine, referring to someone from that area. 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 Leiner (0.27 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 have the last name Leiner?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Leiner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.