2000
#96,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Laemmle
A surname derived from the German word "Lammel" meaning "little lamb".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 216 Americans carry the last name Laemmle. That puts it at #102,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,586,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laemmle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
216
1 in 1,586,826
Census rank
#102,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
188
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 188 bearers of the surname Laemmle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laemmle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laemmle
The surname Laemmle is of German origin, originating in the regions of southern Germany and Switzerland. It is derived from the Old High German word "lamb," meaning "lamb," and is believed to have been an occupational name for a shepherd or someone who worked with lambs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Gernsbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where a Johannes Laemmle was mentioned in the year 1513. The name was also present in various other areas of southern Germany and Switzerland during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the 18th century, the name appears in several historical records, including the church records of Kirchheim unter Teck, Baden-Württemberg, where a Johann Georg Laemmle was born in 1720. Another notable individual was Johann Michael Laemmle, born in 1759 in Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, who was a prominent citizen and landowner in the area.
The name Laemmle also has a strong connection to the town of Laupheim, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This town was home to several families with the surname Laemmle, and it is believed that the name may have originated from this area or a nearby region.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Laemmle was Carl Laemmle (1867-1939), a German-American film producer and co-founder of Universal Pictures. He was born in Laupheim and immigrated to the United States in 1884, where he later established himself as a successful entrepreneur in the film industry.
Another notable figure was Johann Georg Laemmle (1778-1841), a German theologian and author from Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg, who published several works on religious topics and served as a pastor in various churches throughout his life.
In the 19th century, the name Laemmle can be found in records from various parts of Germany and Switzerland, including the cities of Stuttgart, Zurich, and Basel. Some individuals with this surname during this time period include Johann Friedrich Laemmle (1801-1878), a merchant from Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, and Karl August Laemmle (1844-1916), a clockmaker from Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg.
The surname Laemmle has a rich history dating back several centuries, with its origins rooted in the regions of southern Germany and Switzerland. While the name may have evolved from an occupational descriptor, it has since become a well-established surname associated with notable individuals in various fields, particularly in the realm of film and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laemmle
Among Census respondents with the surname Laemmle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Laemmle bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Laemmle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 6
- Two or more races2.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laemmle
Laemmle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#93,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 197
+21 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 2,908 places
2020
#102,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
-9 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 9,039 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,033 | 176 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #93,125 | 197 | 0.07 | +21 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 2,908 places |
| 2020 | #102,164 | 188 | 0.06 | -9 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 9,039 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Laemmle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #93,125 | #102,164 | -9.7% |
| Count | 197 | 188 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laemmle bearers went from 197 to 188 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 9,039 positions in the national ranking, going from #93,125 to #102,164.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Laemmle
FAQ
Laemmle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laemmle?
Name Census estimates that about 216 living Americans carry the surname Laemmle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,586,826 residents.
How common is Laemmle?
Laemmle ranks #102,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 188 people with the surname Laemmle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Laemmle.
Has Laemmle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laemmle went from 197 recorded bearers to 188. That is a decrease of 9 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #93,125 to #102,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Laemmle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laemmle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laemmle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (162 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laemmle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (8.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Laemmle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Laemmle mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Lammel" meaning "little lamb". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Laemmle (0.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Laemmle?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Laemmle at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.