Explore the Family Name Lish

The meaning of Lish

1. Scottish: shortened form of McLeish. Alternatively, perhaps a nickname from the Scots and northern English adjective leish, lish ‘active, nimble, strong, supple’, although the word is not recorded before the late 18th century. The surname is first noted in 1566 in Edinburgh. 2. Americanized form of German Liesch 1. 3. Probably also an Americanized form of Sorbian Liš or of its Germanized form Liesch 2.

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

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

The surname "Lish" held the rank of 18,112 in terms of popularity in the year 2000 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. By 2010, it had slightly dipped to a rank of 18,502, marking a change of -2.15%. In terms of count, however, there was an increase from 1,419 in 2000 to 1,493 in 2010, representing a positive change of 5.21%. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a slight decrease from 0.53 to 0.51 during the same period, marking a -3.77% change.

20002010Change
Rank#18,112#18,502-2.15%
Count1,4191,4935.21%
Proportion per 100k0.530.51-3.77%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lish

When looking at the ethnic identity of those with the surname "Lish", based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there's been a noticeable shift. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 63.27%, going from 0.49% in 2000 to 0.80% in 2010. The Hispanic population also saw a significant growth of 39.38%, whereas the proportion of those identifying as two or more races decreased by 16.97%. The majority ethnic identity still remained White, though it saw a minor decrease of 1.00%. The Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native populations both experienced modest increases, with changes of 5.51% and 6.35%, respectively.

20002010Change
White93.16%92.23%-1%
Hispanic2.26%3.15%39.38%
Two or More Races2.18%1.81%-16.97%
Black1.27%1.34%5.51%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.49%0.8%63.27%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.63%0.67%6.35%