2000
#4,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.81
Rare Last name
Lemaster
An English occupational surname referring to a master craftsman or skilled artisan, derived from the Old French "le maistre".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,341 Americans carry the last name Lemaster. That puts it at #4,720 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemaster 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
8.3K
1 in 41,093
Census rank
#4,720
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,274 bearers of the surname Lemaster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4720th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemaster
The surname LEMASTER is believed to have originated in France, possibly derived from the Old French word "maistre," which means "master" or "leader." It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name was likely initially used as a descriptive term for someone who held a position of authority or leadership, such as a master craftsman, a teacher, or a landowner. Over time, it evolved into a hereditary surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Le Maistre," which suggests its French origins.
In the 13th century, a variant spelling, "Lemaistre," is found in the records of the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, England. This document dates back to 1273 and was used to record land ownership and taxation.
During the 14th century, the name took on various spellings, including "Lemaister" and "Lemeister," as it spread across different regions of France and England. One notable figure from this period was John Lemaister, a landowner in Gloucestershire, England, who lived around 1380.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in Scotland as "Lemaster" or "Lemastair," indicating its migration to different parts of the British Isles. A notable bearer of the name during this time was Robert Lemaster, a merchant from Edinburgh, Scotland, who lived around 1450.
By the 16th century, the name had firmly established itself in various parts of Europe, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such figure was Jean Lemaster, a French philosopher and writer who lived from 1520 to 1596.
In the 17th century, the name continued to spread, and one notable bearer was William Lemaster, an English explorer and navigator who was born in 1620 and is believed to have been part of several expeditions to the Americas.
During the 18th century, the name gained prominence in different parts of the world, with individuals like John Lemaster, an American Revolutionary War soldier born in 1745, and Pierre Lemaster, a French artist and painter who lived from 1760 to 1825.
As the name continued to evolve, it took on various spellings and pronunciations in different regions, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences it encountered throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemaster
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemaster 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 Lemaster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 6,564
- Two or more races4.6% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 253
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 42
- Black or African American0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemaster
Lemaster 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
#4,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,858
+265 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#4,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,274
-584 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Down 207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,330 | 7,593 | 2.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,513 | 7,858 | 2.66 | +265 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #4,720 | 7,274 | 2.43 | -584 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 207 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 Lemaster 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 | #4,513 | #4,720 | -4.6% |
| Count | 7,858 | 7,274 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.66 | 2.43 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemaster bearers went from 7,858 to 7,274 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 207 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,513 to #4,720.
FAQ
Lemaster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemaster?
Name Census estimates that about 8,341 living Americans carry the surname Lemaster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,093 residents.
How common is Lemaster?
Lemaster ranks #4,720 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,274 people with the surname Lemaster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,341), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lemaster.
Has Lemaster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemaster went from 7,858 recorded bearers to 7,274. That is a decrease of 584 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,513 to #4,720.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemaster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Lemaster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (6,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemaster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Lemaster (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 Lemaster mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a master craftsman or skilled artisan, derived from the Old French "le maistre". 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 Lemaster (2.43 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 common is the surname Lemaster?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Lemaster is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.