2000
#3,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,320
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.08
Rare Last name
Lemay
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the may," likely referring to a hawthorn tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,258 Americans carry the last name Lemay. That puts it at #4,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemay 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 Lemay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 37,023
Census rank
#4,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,073 bearers of the surname Lemay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemay, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemay
The surname LEMAY originated in France, deriving from the French words "le" meaning "the" and "mai" meaning "May." The name likely referred to someone born or associated with the month of May, possibly due to a birth or significant event occurring during that time.
The earliest recorded instances of the LEMAY surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It appears in various medieval records and documents, occasionally spelled as "Le May" or "Lemay."
In the 13th century, the name LEMAY was mentioned in the Rolls of Parliament of England, indicating that individuals bearing this surname had established a presence in England during that period.
One notable early bearer of the LEMAY surname was Jean LEMAY, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and was recorded in military chronicles from the late 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LEMAY name spread across various regions of France, including Brittany, Île-de-France, and Burgundy. Some LEMAY families were also found in the Channel Islands, which were historically tied to the Duchy of Normandy.
In the 18th century, Jacques LEMAY (1701-1779), a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader, played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of the Great Lakes region in North America.
Another prominent figure with the LEMAY surname was Léon LEMAY (1835-1918), a French architect and engineer who designed several iconic buildings in Paris, including the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais.
In the 20th century, the LEMAY name gained further recognition with individuals like Paul LEMAY (1904-1988), a renowned Canadian author and literary critic, and François LEMAY (1928-2008), a Quebec businessman and philanthropist.
The LEMAY surname has also been associated with several place names in France, such as Le May-sur-Èvre, a commune in the Pays de la Loire region, and Le May, a hamlet in the commune of Blainville-sur-Mer in Normandy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemay
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemay, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemay 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 Lemay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 7,126
- Two or more races4.3% · 344
- Black or African American3.3% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemay
Lemay 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
#4,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,471
+151 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#4,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,073
-398 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,924 | 8,320 | 3.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,182 | 8,471 | 2.87 | +151 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #4,248 | 8,073 | 2.70 | -398 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 66 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 Lemay 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 | #4,182 | #4,248 | -1.6% |
| Count | 8,471 | 8,073 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.87 | 2.70 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemay bearers went from 8,471 to 8,073 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,182 to #4,248.
FAQ
Lemay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemay?
Name Census estimates that about 9,258 living Americans carry the surname Lemay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,023 residents.
How common is Lemay?
Lemay ranks #4,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 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 8,073 people with the surname Lemay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 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 Lemay.
Has Lemay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemay went from 8,471 recorded bearers to 8,073. That is a decrease of 398 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,182 to #4,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemay, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Lemay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (7,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (3.3%). 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 Lemay (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 Lemay mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the may," likely referring to a hawthorn 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 Lemay (2.70 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 Lemay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.