Show ContentsLeb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origin of the proud surname Leb can be traced to the historic kingdom of Bohemia, which is now part of Czechoslovakia. German surnames developed at a time when most of Bohemia, and most of the German provinces, were states of the Holy Roman Empire. At first people used only a single name, but as the population grew and people began to travel, they began to find it necessary to take on an additional name to differentiate themselves. The distinguished surname Leb is derived from the Middle High German "lewe," meaning "lion."

Early Origins of the Leb family

The surname Leb was first found in Bohemia, where the Leb family became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the family became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. One of the earliest recorded Bohemian bearers of the name was Hensel Lebel, who lived in Budweis in 1387.

Early History of the Leb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leb research. Another 312 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1225, 1265, 1300, 1460, 1465, 1507, 1522, 1628, 1703, 1706, 1733, 1796, 1799 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Leb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leb Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Loewe, Loewen, Lowen, Lowe, Low, Lower, Löwe, Löw, Leu, Leue, Lau, Laue, Löbe, Lobe, Leb, Lebe and many more.

Early Notables of the Leb family

During this early period, notable bearers of the name Leb included Leon Loewe von Rozmital (around 1465), whose famous descriptions of the Holy Land through which he traveled were translated into many languages, his daughter became the Queen of Bohemia; Hans Leu, The Elder...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leb Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Leb migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Salomon Leb, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1860 1


  1. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook