2000
#10,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,721
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Lemaire
An occupational surname for a mayor or an elected head of a town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,273 Americans carry the last name Lemaire. That puts it at #10,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,722 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemaire 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 Lemaire with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,722
Census rank
#10,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,854 bearers of the surname Lemaire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemaire, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemaire
The surname LEMAIRE originated in France during the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old French words "le" meaning "the" and "maire" meaning "mayor" or "leader". The name was likely first given as an occupational surname to individuals who served as mayors or held positions of authority within their local communities.
In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "Le Maire" in various French records from the 12th and 13th centuries. Over time, the spelling evolved to the more modern form of "LEMAIRE" that is commonly seen today. The name was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany.
One notable early reference to the surname LEMAIRE can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and tax records commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed among the landowners and tenants in several counties across England, suggesting that individuals bearing this French surname had already begun to establish themselves in parts of Britain by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname LEMAIRE was Jean LEMAIRE, a renowned French poet and historian who lived from 1473 to 1548. He served as an indripher (official poet) to several French kings, including Louis XII and Francis I, and is best known for his works such as "Les Illustrations de Gaule et Singularitez de Troye" and "La Légende des Vénitiens".
Another notable figure was Philippe LEMAIRE, a French painter and engraver born in 1610. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture and is celebrated for his religious works and portraiture, including a famous portrait of Louis XIV.
In the 18th century, Pierre-Augustin Caron de LEMAIRE (1756-1836) was a prominent French playwright and librettist who authored several operas and plays during the Napoleonic era.
François-Édouard LEMAIRE (1850-1924) was a 19th-century French sculptor known for his monumental works, including the statue of Joan of Arc in Rouen and the "Monument to the Republic" in Paris.
Lastly, Georges LEMAIRE (1894-1963) was a 20th-century French physicist and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemaire
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemaire, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemaire 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 Lemaire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 2,502
- Black or African American4.5% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 102
- Two or more races2.9% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemaire
Lemaire 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
#10,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,931
+210 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#10,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,854
-77 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,762 | 2,721 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,871 | 2,931 | 0.99 | +210 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #10,695 | 2,854 | 0.95 | -77 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 176 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 Lemaire 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 | #10,871 | #10,695 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,931 | 2,854 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.95 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemaire bearers went from 2,931 to 2,854 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,871 to #10,695.
FAQ
Lemaire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemaire?
Name Census estimates that about 3,273 living Americans carry the surname Lemaire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,722 residents.
How common is Lemaire?
Lemaire ranks #10,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,854 people with the surname Lemaire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lemaire.
Has Lemaire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemaire went from 2,931 recorded bearers to 2,854. That is a decrease of 77 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,871 to #10,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemaire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemaire, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Lemaire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (2,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemaire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Lemaire (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 Lemaire mean?
An occupational surname for a mayor or an elected head of a town or village. 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 Lemaire (0.95 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 Lemaire?
Find out how common the surname Lemaire is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.