Explore the Family Name Lessing

The meaning of Lessing

1. German: variant of Lessig 1. 2. Germanized form of Sorbian Lěsnik (and possibly also of some other similar or like-sounding Slavic surname): topographic name for a forest dweller or an occupational name for a forester, lěsnik, derived from lěs ‘wood, forest’. Compare Lesnik 1 and Lessig 2.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Lessing in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Lessing has seen a rise in popularity over the years. In 2000, it was ranked 36,630 and by 2010, it had climbed to 35,812, marking a positive change of 2.23%. Moreover, the number of people bearing this surname went from 576 in 2000 to 627 in 2010, an increase of 8.85%. Despite the growth in numbers, the proportion of people named Lessing per 100,000 remained stable at 0.21.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#36,630	#35,812	2.23%
Count	576	627	8.85%
Proportion per 100k	0.21	0.21	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lessing

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Lessing also underwent some changes between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those belonging to two or more races both saw increases, rising by 28.74% and 19.91% respectively. On the other hand, the prevalence of the surname among White individuals decreased slightly from 92.88% to 92.19%, indicating a small shift in the ethnicity distribution. Meanwhile, the count for Hispanic individuals dropped by 8.22%. No individuals named Lessing identified as Black, American Indian, or Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	92.88%	92.19%	-0.74%
Hispanic	3.65%	3.35%	-8.22%
Two or More Races	2.26%	2.71%	19.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.87%	1.12%	28.74%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%