Explore the Family Name Lightsey
The meaning of Lightsey
Probably an Americanized form of German Leutze or Leitze, short forms of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with liud ‘people, tribe’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lightsey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Lightsey' has seen a slight decrease between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Lightsey' ranked 11,547 in popularity and by 2010, it dropped to 12,303, showing a change of -6.55 percent. However, the count of individuals with this surname marginally increased from 2,497 to 2,527 demonstrating a growth of 1.2 percent. The proportion of people carrying the 'Lightsey' surname per 100,000 decreased by 7.53 percent over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,547 | #12,303 | -6.55% |
| Count | 2,497 | 2,527 | 1.2% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.93 | 0.86 | -7.53% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lightsey
The ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Lightsey', as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census, also saw some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with the surname are predominantly White, making up about 79.26 percent in 2010, which is a slight decrease from 79.90 percent in 2000. Individuals identifying as Hispanic experienced the most significant increase from 1.00 percent to 1.86 percent, an 86 percent rise. Other represented ethnicities include Black (16.86 percent), Two or more races (1.27 percent), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.24 percent), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.51 percent).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.9% | 79.26% | -0.8% |
| Black | 17.26% | 16.86% | -2.32% |
| Hispanic | 1% | 1.86% | 86% |
| Two or More Races | 1.28% | 1.27% | -0.78% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.36% | 0.51% | 41.67% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.24% | 20% |