Find out how popular the last name LeMay is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named LeMay.

LeMay, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the LeMay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LeMay in America

LeMay is the 4182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LeMay surname appeared 8,471 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname LeMay.

We can also compare 2010 data for LeMay to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LeMay

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname LeMay.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for LeMay was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of LeMay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name LeMay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of LeMay, please contact us.

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