Explore the Family Name Leben
The meaning of Leben
1. German: possibly a habitational name from any of the places called Lebehn in eastern Mecklenburg and Pomerania. 2. Dutch: from a pet form of the ancient Germanic personal name Liebrecht (composed of the elements liut ‘people, tribe’ + berht ‘bright’). 3. Slovenian: probably a cognate of Leban, a nickname for a person with a distinctive forehead, derived from archaic leb ‘forehead’. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Leben in the United States?
The surname Leben has seen a slight decline in popularity over the past decade, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. Ranked 51,809th in the year 2000, it slipped to 57,639th by 2010, representing an 11.25% decrease. The count of individuals carrying this surname also dropped by 6.37% during the same period, from 377 to 353. Consequently, the proportion of Leben per 100,000 residents fell by 14.29%, from 0.14 to 0.12.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #51,809 | #57,639 | -11.25% |
| Count | 377 | 353 | -6.37% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.14 | 0.12 | -14.29% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Leben
When it comes to ethnic identity, there's been some shifting within the Leben surname holders based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 85.15% of the Leben population identified as White; however, this rate decreased to 77.9% by 2010. There was a notable rise in those identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native, with increases of 21.34% and 27.82% respectively. Interestingly, the number of Leben who identify as Hispanic appeared in the 2010 census for the first time, indicating a change in the ethnic diversity within this surname group. No Leben identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or of Two or more races in either census year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.15% | 77.9% | -8.51% |
| Black | 11.67% | 14.16% | 21.34% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 3.97% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.33% | 1.7% | 27.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |