2000
#22,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Lem
A Polish surname likely derived from the Polish word "lemia" meaning elm tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,313 Americans carry the last name Lem. That puts it at #22,971 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 261,047 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lem 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
1.3K
1 in 261,047
Census rank
#22,971
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,145 bearers of the surname Lem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22971st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Hispanic (12.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lem
The surname LEM is of Polish origin, arising in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the old Polish word "lem", meaning elm tree, suggesting the name may have referred to someone who lived near an elm grove or worked with elm wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the 1388 records of the town of Krakow, where a craftsman named Jan Lem is listed. This suggests the name was already established in the region by that time.
There are also references to the name in 15th century land records from the village of Lemiany, near the city of Olsztyn in northern Poland. The village name itself is likely derived from the surname, indicating families with this last name may have lived there or founded the settlement.
An early notable bearer of the name was Stanislaw Lem, a renowned Polish writer and philosopher who lived from 1921 to 2006. He is best known for his science fiction works which explored philosophical themes and garnered him international acclaim.
Another prominent figure was Mieczyslaw Lem, a Polish economist and politician who served as Minister of Finance from 1947 to 1949. He played a pivotal role in shaping Poland's post-war economic policies.
In the 16th century, records show a Piotr Lem who was a respected artisan and craftsman in the city of Gdansk, known for his intricate woodcarvings.
Moving into the 19th century, there was Karolina Lem, a Polish painter and artist born in 1856, whose works were celebrated for their vivid depictions of rural life and landscapes.
Lastly, a notable modern bearer is Stanislaw Lem Jr., born in 1943, who followed in his father's footsteps as a science fiction writer and has continued the family's literary legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lem
Among Census respondents with the surname Lem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Hispanic (12.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lem 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 Lem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.1% · 665
- White19.3% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino12.8% · 147
- Two or more races7.0% · 80
- Black or African American2.3% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lem
Lem 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
#22,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,161
+105 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 490 places
2020
#22,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,145
-16 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 755 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,706 | 1,056 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,216 | 1,161 | 0.39 | +105 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 490 places |
| 2020 | #22,971 | 1,145 | 0.38 | -16 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 755 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 Lem 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 | #22,216 | #22,971 | -3.4% |
| Count | 1,161 | 1,145 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.38 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lem bearers went from 1,161 to 1,145 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 755 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,216 to #22,971.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lem
FAQ
Lem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lem?
Name Census estimates that about 1,313 living Americans carry the surname Lem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 261,047 residents.
How common is Lem?
Lem ranks #22,971 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,145 people with the surname Lem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,313), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Lem.
Has Lem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lem went from 1,161 recorded bearers to 1,145. That is a decrease of 16 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,216 to #22,971.
What does the Census say about the background of Lem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Hispanic (12.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.1%), White (19.3%), Hispanic (12.8%). 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 Lem (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 Lem mean?
A Polish surname likely derived from the Polish word "lemia" meaning elm tree. 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 Lem (0.38 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 share the surname Lem?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.