2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lesnar
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with wood or was a lumberjack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 190 Americans carry the last name Lesnar. That puts it at #112,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,803,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lesnar 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
190
1 in 1,803,970
Census rank
#112,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 166 bearers of the surname Lesnar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 112515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lesnar
The surname Lesnar originated in the Czech Republic, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Czech word "lezník," which referred to a person who lived in a forested area or worked as a woodcutter or logger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lesnar name can be found in the Litomerice Cadastre, a comprehensive land registry compiled in 1384 for the region of Litomerice in northern Bohemia. Here, the name is listed as "Leznar," likely reflecting the local dialect and pronunciation at the time.
In the 15th century, various spellings of the name appear in municipal records across Bohemia, including "Lesnar," "Leznar," and "Lezner." These variations suggest that the name had spread to different areas and was subject to regional linguistic influences.
During the 16th century, the Lesnar surname gained prominence in the town of Pilsen, where a notable family of brewers and merchants bearing the name resided. Jan Lesnar (c. 1520-1585) was a respected burgher and member of the town council, while his son, Vaclav Lesnar (1560-1632), was a successful entrepreneur who expanded the family's brewery and trading operations.
In the 17th century, the Lesnar name appeared in the records of several villages in the Kladsko region, which at the time was part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. One notable individual from this period was Matous Lesnar (1628-1691), a farmer and landowner who played a role in the local resistance against the Thirty Years' War.
As the Czech lands came under the rule of the Habsburg Empire in the 18th century, the Lesnar name spread to other parts of Central Europe. Johann Lesnar (1725-1799), a skilled clockmaker from Brno, gained recognition for his intricate timepieces, some of which were commissioned by nobility and wealthy patrons.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous individuals with the Lesnar surname made their mark in various fields, including literature, academia, and the arts. Among them were the poet and translator Josef Lesnar (1844-1917), the linguist and philologist Frantisek Lesnar (1876-1949), and the painter and illustrator Karel Lesnar (1888-1963).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lesnar
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lesnar 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 Lesnar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lesnar
Lesnar 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+5 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,019 places
2020
#112,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+19 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 4,019 places |
| 2020 | #112,515 | 166 | 0.06 | +19 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 5,670 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 Lesnar 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 | #118,185 | #112,515 | 4.8% |
| Count | 147 | 166 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lesnar bearers went from 147 to 166 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 5,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #112,515.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lesnar
FAQ
Lesnar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lesnar?
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the surname Lesnar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,803,970 residents.
How common is Lesnar?
Lesnar ranks #112,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 166 people with the surname Lesnar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Lesnar.
Has Lesnar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lesnar went from 147 recorded bearers to 166. That is an increase of 19 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #118,185 to #112,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Lesnar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Lesnar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lesnar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Lesnar (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 Lesnar mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with wood or was a lumberjack. 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 Lesnar (0.06 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 many people have the last name Lesnar?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Lesnar, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.