2000
#3,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Lehmann
A German occupational surname referring to a vassal, serf, or feudal tenant farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,901 Americans carry the last name Lehmann. That puts it at #3,986 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lehmann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lehmann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,618
Census rank
#3,986
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,634 bearers of the surname Lehmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3986th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lehmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lehmann
The surname Lehmann originated in Germany, where it first appeared in records during the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "lëheman," which means "vassal" or "feudal tenant." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were individuals who held land or property under the control of a lord or noble.
The name was particularly common in the regions of Saxony and Silesia, where it can be found in various forms, such as Lehman, Leeman, and Leman. These variations likely arose due to different dialects and regional pronunciations.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Liber Censuum, a historical document compiled in the 13th century by the Roman Catholic Church, which listed individuals and their landholdings.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johannes Lehmann (1445-1511) was a German humanist and scholar who contributed to the revival of classical literature during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Martin Lehmann (1630-1681), a German lawyer and jurist who served as a legal advisor to the Elector of Brandenburg.
During the 18th century, Johann Georg Lehmann (1715-1767) was a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.
In the realm of music, the composer and pianist Liza Lehmann (1862-1918) was a notable figure who composed numerous songs and chamber works, and was celebrated for her contribution to the English song repertoire.
The name Lehmann also appeared in literary circles, with the German writer and playwright Wilhelm Lehmann (1882-1968), who wrote several plays and novels that explored themes of social critique and human relationships.
Throughout its history, the surname Lehmann has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, and has been carried by individuals from diverse professions, including scholars, lawyers, scientists, artists, and writers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lehmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Lehmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lehmann 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 Lehmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 7,889
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 343
- Two or more races2.5% · 212
- Black or African American1.1% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lehmann
Lehmann 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
#4,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,799
+272 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.98
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#3,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,634
-165 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Up 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,823 | 8,527 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,039 | 8,799 | 2.98 | +272 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #3,986 | 8,634 | 2.89 | -165 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 53 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 Lehmann 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 | #4,039 | #3,986 | 1.3% |
| Count | 8,799 | 8,634 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.98 | 2.89 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lehmann bearers went from 8,799 to 8,634 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,039 to #3,986.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lehmann
FAQ
Lehmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lehmann?
Name Census estimates that about 9,901 living Americans carry the surname Lehmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,618 residents.
How common is Lehmann?
Lehmann ranks #3,986 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,634 people with the surname Lehmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lehmann.
Has Lehmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lehmann went from 8,799 recorded bearers to 8,634. That is a decrease of 165 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,039 to #3,986.
What does the Census say about the background of Lehmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lehmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lehmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (7,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lehmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lehmann (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 Lehmann mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a vassal, serf, or feudal tenant farmer. 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 Lehmann (2.89 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 Lehmann?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Lehmann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.