2000
#68,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Lamme
A Dutch surname derived from the pet form of the Germanic given name Lambert, meaning "bright land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 334 Americans carry the last name Lamme. That puts it at #72,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,026,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lamme 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
334
1 in 1,026,211
Census rank
#72,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
291
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 291 bearers of the surname Lamme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 72089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lamme
The surname Lamme has its origins in the Netherlands and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Dutch word "lam," meaning lamb. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who had a gentle or meek personality, similar to a lamb.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lamme can be found in a Dutch census record from the year 1275, which lists a Gherardus Lamme residing in the city of Utrecht. During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various regions of the Netherlands, including Friesland and Groningen.
In the 14th century, the surname Lamme appeared in historical records in the northern Dutch province of Drenthe. A document from 1327 mentions a Pieter Lamme, who owned a parcel of land in the village of Assen. This suggests that the name was not only present in urban areas but also in rural communities.
The name Lamme has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the 16th century, Hendrick Lamme was a prominent Dutch painter known for his religious and allegorical works. He was born in Haarlem in 1540 and died in Amsterdam in 1611.
During the 17th century, Johannes Lamme gained recognition as a Dutch mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Arnhem in 1622 and made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. His work on calculating the orbits of comets was widely praised.
In the 19th century, Pieter Lamme (1819-1892) was a Dutch politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Dutch Parliament and was actively involved in legal reforms during his time.
Another notable figure with the surname Lamme was Johanna Lamme (1885-1962), a Dutch artist and sculptor. She was known for her modernist sculptures and her contributions to the Amsterdam School of art and architecture.
Lastly, the name Lamme has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands. For example, Lammerburen and Lammergat are small villages in the northern province of Groningen, where the name Lamme was likely prevalent during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lamme
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lamme 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 Lamme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 252
- Two or more races6.9% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 8
- Black or African American1.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lamme
Lamme 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
#73,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263
-6 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 5,306 places
2020
#72,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 291
+28 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 1,577 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,360 | 269 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,666 | 263 | 0.09 | -6 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 5,306 places |
| 2020 | #72,089 | 291 | 0.10 | +28 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,577 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 Lamme 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 | #73,666 | #72,089 | 2.1% |
| Count | 263 | 291 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lamme bearers went from 263 to 291 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 1,577 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,666 to #72,089.
FAQ
Lamme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lamme?
Name Census estimates that about 334 living Americans carry the surname Lamme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,026,211 residents.
How common is Lamme?
Lamme ranks #72,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 291 people with the surname Lamme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Lamme.
Has Lamme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lamme went from 263 recorded bearers to 291. That is an increase of 28 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,666 to #72,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Lamme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Lamme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lamme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Lamme (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 Lamme mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the pet form of the Germanic given name Lambert, meaning "bright land". 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 Lamme (0.10 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 surname Lamme?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.