Leib Family History
Leib Name Meaning
Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish personal name Leyb meaning ‘lion’ traditional Yiddish translation equivalent of the Hebrew name Yehuda (Judah) with reference to the Old Testament description of Judah as a ‘lion's whelp’ (Genesis 49: ). German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Liubo from liob ‘dear’. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). German: nickname from Middle High German līp ‘life body’. German: metonymic occupational name from Middle High German leip ‘loaf (of bread)’ for a baker. Possibly also an altered form of German Lieb because of the confusion of -ie- and -ei-.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022