Show ContentsLederer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Lederer was an occupational name for a tanner, derived from the German word "lederaere," meaning "leather worker." While patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in Germany, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Lederer family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname.

Early Origins of the Lederer family

The surname Lederer was first found in Austria, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. Chronicles first mention Heynke Lederer of Liegnitz in 1372, and Sigfrid der Ledergaerwe of Schorndorf in 1302. The family branched into many houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power.

Early History of the Lederer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lederer research. Another 184 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1723, 1778, 1795, 1842 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Lederer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lederer Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Lederer include Lederer, Leder, Lederman, Ledermann, Lederle and others.

Early Notables of the Lederer family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Lederer were

  • August Gottlob von Lederer (1723-1795), who was an Austrian state official...

Lederer Ranking

In the United States, the name Lederer is the 12,799th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Lederer migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lederer or a variant listed above:

Lederer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Lederer, who landed in Maryland in 1666-1750 [2]
Lederer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johann Paulus Lederer, who settled in Philadelphia in 1732
  • Joh Paulus Lederer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 [2]
  • Philippus Lederer, who landed in America in 1744 [2]
  • Bartholomaus Lederer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 [2]
  • Bartholomaus Lederer, who settled in America in 1752
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lederer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Isaac Lederer, who landed in New York in 1844 [2]
  • Marcus Lederer, aged 22, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 [2]
  • Jacob Lederer, aged 10, who arrived in New York, NY in 1851 [2]
  • Abraham Lederer, aged 56, who arrived in New York, NY in 1851 [2]
  • Babette Lederer, aged 11, who landed in New York, NY in 1851 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Lederer (post 1700) +

  • Jerome F. Lederer (1902-2004), U.S. aviation safety pioneer
  • Raymond F. Lederer (1938-2008), American politician, member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
  • Walter S. Lederer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Rhode Island, 1924 [3]
  • Raymond Francis Lederer (1938-2008), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1974; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 3rd District, 1977-81 [3]
  • Adolph Lederer, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bridgeport; Elected 1922 [3]
  • Hugo Lederer (1871-1940), German sculptor
  • Emil Lederer (1882-1939), German economist
  • Francis Lederer (1899-2000), Czech actor
  • Edgar Lederer (b. 1908), French biochemist born in Vienna. He was Director of Research at the CNRS, and won numerous awards and honors, such as the Robert Koch Gold Medal in 1982
  • Hubert Lederer Dreyfus (1929-2017), American philosopher and professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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