2000
#5,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,201
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Lemoine
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from Le Maine, a former province in northwest France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,157 Americans carry the last name Lemoine. That puts it at #5,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,891 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemoine 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 Lemoine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,891
Census rank
#5,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,241 bearers of the surname Lemoine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemoine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemoine
The surname LEMOINE has its origins in France, and is believed to have first emerged in the northern regions of the country during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old French words "le moine," meaning "the monk," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a monastery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Chartularium Monasterii Beatae Mariae de Regali Monte, a 13th-century manuscript containing records of the Cistercian abbey of Royaumont in the Île-de-France region. This document mentions a individual named Petrus le Moine, who was likely associated with the abbey in some capacity.
The LEMOINE surname may also have geographical origins, potentially referring to someone from a place named Lemoine or a similar variant. For instance, there is a commune called Lémoine in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany, which could have served as the source of the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the LEMOINE surname. One such figure was François LEMOINE (1688-1737), a French playwright and librettist who authored numerous works for the Comédie-Française and the Opéra-Comique in Paris.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Pierre LEMOINE (1602-1671), a French mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of cycloids and is credited with developing the concept of the "lemoine point" in triangle geometry.
In the realm of art, Émile LEMOINE (1840-1912) was a French painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which were exhibited at the Paris Salon.
The name also has ties to the world of literature, with the French writer and critic Jules LEMOINE (1823-1908) being a notable figure. He was a member of the Académie Française and authored several works on literature and criticism.
Additionally, the French historian and archaeologist Albert LEMOINE (1838-1913) made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman history and archaeology, particularly through his excavations and research in the Meuse Valley region.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the LEMOINE surname who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, highlighting the rich heritage and legacy associated with this name of French origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemoine
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemoine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemoine 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 Lemoine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 5,413
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 431
- Black or African American2.7% · 168
- Two or more races2.6% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemoine
Lemoine 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
#5,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,343
+142 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 306 places
2020
#5,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,241
-102 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Up 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,178 | 6,201 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,484 | 6,343 | 2.15 | +142 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 306 places |
| 2020 | #5,395 | 6,241 | 2.09 | -102 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 89 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 Lemoine 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 | #5,484 | #5,395 | 1.6% |
| Count | 6,343 | 6,241 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.09 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemoine bearers went from 6,343 to 6,241 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,484 to #5,395.
FAQ
Lemoine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemoine?
Name Census estimates that about 7,157 living Americans carry the surname Lemoine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,891 residents.
How common is Lemoine?
Lemoine ranks #5,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 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 6,241 people with the surname Lemoine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 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 Lemoine.
Has Lemoine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemoine went from 6,343 recorded bearers to 6,241. That is a decrease of 102 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,484 to #5,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemoine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemoine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Lemoine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (5,413 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemoine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (6.9%), Black (2.7%). 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 Lemoine (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 Lemoine mean?
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from Le Maine, a former province in northwest France. 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 Lemoine (2.09 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 Lemoine?
See how many people have the last name Lemoine on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.