leiser

Leiser is a surname of German origin. It is derived from the German adjective leise, meaning quiet or soft. The surname most likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a person who was quiet or discreet, later becoming hereditary.

In the German-speaking world, Leiser has been found in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. Through migration and diaspora, bearers of the name appear in North America, Israel, and other countries, including communities of Ashkenazi Jewish origin where German surnames were adopted in the 18th–19th centuries.

In modern German, leiser is also the comparative form of leise, used to describe something quieter (for example, “der Ton wird leiser”). The surname Leiser is etymologically related to that root but is treated as a fixed family name rather than a grammatical form.

Notable individuals bearing the surname have been documented across various fields, though no single line of descent is assumed from this brief overview. Genealogical sources may provide specific regional origins or migrations for particular families named Leiser.