2000
#36,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 588
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Leamer
A surname possibly derived from the Old English term "leornere" meaning a student or learner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 674 Americans carry the last name Leamer. That puts it at #40,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 508,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leamer 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
674
1 in 508,538
Census rank
#40,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
588
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 588 bearers of the surname Leamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leamer
The surname LEAMER is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "leornian" meaning "to learn" and "mann" meaning "man." It is thought to have originated in the 12th century as an occupational name for a teacher or a scholar.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname LEAMER can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where a person named William Lereman is mentioned. The surname was also documented in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, with the spelling "le Lernur."
In the 14th century, the surname LEAMER appeared in various forms, such as Lernour, Lernur, and Lerunur. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire.
One notable bearer of the LEAMER surname was Sir Thomas Leamer, a Member of Parliament for Wendover in 1614. He was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace in Buckinghamshire.
Another historical figure with the LEAMER surname was John Leamer (1615-1684), an English clergyman and academic. He was a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and served as the rector of Everdon, Northamptonshire.
In the 17th century, the surname LEAMER was also found in the New World. Thomas Leamer (1628-1688) was an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Lebanon, Connecticut.
The LEAMER surname has a rich history, with references found in various medieval records and documents. One such mention is in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1524, where a John Leimer is listed.
Another notable bearer of the LEAMER name was Laurence Leamer (1630-1663), a Puritan minister in New England. He served as the pastor of the church in Manchester, Massachusetts, and was involved in the early settlement of the area.
Over time, the LEAMER surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Learman, Learmount, and Leermonth. These variations reflect the influence of regional accents and the evolution of spelling conventions in different areas where the name was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Leamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Leamer 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 Leamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 539
- Two or more races5.1% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leamer
Leamer 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
#40,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 548
-40 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 3,971 places
2020
#40,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 588
+40 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,045 | 588 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,016 | 548 | 0.19 | -40 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 3,971 places |
| 2020 | #40,219 | 588 | 0.20 | +40 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 203 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 Leamer 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 | #40,016 | #40,219 | -0.5% |
| Count | 548 | 588 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.20 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leamer bearers went from 548 to 588 (+7.3% change). The surname moved down 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,016 to #40,219.
FAQ
Leamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leamer?
Name Census estimates that about 674 living Americans carry the surname Leamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 508,538 residents.
How common is Leamer?
Leamer ranks #40,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 588 people with the surname Leamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Leamer.
Has Leamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leamer went from 548 recorded bearers to 588. That is an increase of 40 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,016 to #40,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Leamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Leamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Leamer (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 Leamer mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Old English term "leornere" meaning a student or learner. 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 Leamer (0.20 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 Americans have the surname Leamer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.