Lehman
A masculine name of Germanic roots meaning "from the meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 372 living Americans carry the first name Lehman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lehman today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lehman births was 1922 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lehman. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Lehman is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lehmans were born before 1971.
People living today
372
~ 1 in 921,383 Americans
Peak year
1922
28 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2003 SSA rank
#9,246
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Lehman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lehman from the 1890s through to the 2000s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 230 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lehman by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lehman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lehmans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Lehman, while Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lehman
The name Lehman is of German origin and is derived from the Old High German word "leh," which means "soiled, muddy, or clay-like." This etymology suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with clay or soil.
In the Middle Ages, the name Lehman was primarily found in various regions of Germany, particularly in areas with a strong pottery or ceramic industry. It was often used as a surname for individuals involved in these trades or living in areas with clay-rich soil.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lehman dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Konrad Lehman was mentioned in a historical document from the city of Cologne, Germany, in 1256.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lehman. One of the most famous was Gottfried Wilhelm Lehmann (1799-1882), a German botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of plants in South Africa and Australia.
Another prominent figure was Max Lehmann (1845-1929), a German philosopher and psychologist known for his work on the philosophy of mathematics and his contributions to the field of experimental psychology.
In the realm of literature, Johann Gottlob Lehmann (1719-1767) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his satires and fables, some of which were critical of the social and political climate of his time.
The name Lehman also has a place in religious history, with Johann Gottfried Lehmann (1719-1767) being a notable Lutheran theologian and pastor who served in the city of Dresden during the 18th century.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the legacy of the Lehman family in the financial world, particularly the Lehman Brothers investment bank, founded by Henry Lehman (1822-1855) in Alabama, United States. The firm played a significant role in the global financial markets until its collapse in 2008.
People
Lehman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lehman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lehman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lehman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 372 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lehman going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 921,383 US residents.
Is Lehman a common name?
We classify Lehman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 974 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lehman most popular?
The single biggest year for Lehman was 1922, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lehman is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lehman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lehman in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.