2000
#59,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Lembeck
A surname of German origin referring to someone from the town of Lembeck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 351 Americans carry the last name Lembeck. That puts it at #69,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 976,508 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lembeck 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
351
1 in 976,508
Census rank
#69,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
306
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 306 bearers of the surname Lembeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lembeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lembeck
The surname Lembeck originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German words "lembil" meaning "lame" and "bek" meaning "brook" or "stream". This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a brook inhabited by lame or crippled people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lembeck is found in a 1284 document from the town of Lemgo in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, where a certain Henricus de Lembeck is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the town of Münster, Westphalia, where a Johann Lembeck is listed as a respected citizen and merchant. This suggests that the family had gained some prominence and social standing by that time.
The Lembeck name is also found in the 16th century records of the Duchy of Cleves, a former state within the Holy Roman Empire. Here, a Gerhard Lembeck is mentioned as a landowner and member of the local nobility.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Lembeck name was Hans Lembeck (1495-1567), a German painter and engraver who was active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance period. His works can be found in various museums across Europe.
Another notable figure was Johann Lembeck (1630-1699), a German theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Jena from 1688 to 1699. He was a prolific writer and published several works on theology and metaphysics.
In the 19th century, Karl Lembeck (1820-1892) was a prominent German businessman and industrialist who founded the Lembeck Machine Works in Solingen, a major manufacturer of cutlery and tools.
The name Lembeck has also been found in historical records in other parts of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony, suggesting that the family had spread to different regions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lembeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Lembeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lembeck 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 Lembeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 277
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 18
- Two or more races2.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lembeck
Lembeck 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
#63,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
+1 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,299 places
2020
#69,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 306
-11 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,098 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,769 | 316 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,068 | 317 | 0.11 | +1 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 3,299 places |
| 2020 | #69,166 | 306 | 0.10 | -11 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 6,098 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 Lembeck 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 | #63,068 | #69,166 | -9.7% |
| Count | 317 | 306 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lembeck bearers went from 317 to 306 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 6,098 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,068 to #69,166.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lembeck
FAQ
Lembeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lembeck?
Name Census estimates that about 351 living Americans carry the surname Lembeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 976,508 residents.
How common is Lembeck?
Lembeck ranks #69,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 306 people with the surname Lembeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Lembeck.
Has Lembeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lembeck went from 317 recorded bearers to 306. That is a decrease of 11 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #63,068 to #69,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Lembeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lembeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lembeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lembeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lembeck (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 Lembeck mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone from the town of Lembeck. 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 Lembeck (0.10 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 Lembeck?
You can see how many people have the surname Lembeck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.