2000
#2,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,573
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.40
Uncommon Last name
Lemon
An English surname derived from the Old English word "hlēomonn," meaning a lover or sweetheart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,223 Americans carry the last name Lemon. That puts it at #2,487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,128 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemon 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 Lemon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,128
Census rank
#2,487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,147 bearers of the surname Lemon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemon
The surname Lemon is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'leamun' or 'lemun', meaning a lemon tree or the citrus fruit itself. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name or nickname for someone who lived near a lemon tree or had some association with lemons.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Lemon can be traced back to the 13th century in the county of Norfolk, England. In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and tenants, there is an entry for a John Lemon from the village of Hingham.
During the medieval period, the Lemon surname was also found in various spellings such as Lemmon, Leman, and Leamon, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the names.
In the 16th century, the Lemon surname appeared in the parish records of Somersetshire, where a Robert Lemon was listed as a resident of the village of Chew Magna in 1567. This suggests that the name had spread across different regions of England by that time.
One notable individual with the surname Lemon was Sir Charles Lemon (1784-1868), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies in Cornwall and Devon. He was also a prominent figure in the mining industry and played a role in the development of the Tamar Valley.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Lemon (1779-1835), an English archivist and historian who served as the Deputy Keeper of the State Papers at the Public Record Office in London. He was responsible for publishing several important historical documents and manuscripts.
In the realm of literature, Mark Lemon (1809-1870) was an English editor and writer who co-founded the satirical magazine Punch in 1841. He served as the magazine's editor for many years and contributed numerous articles and humorous pieces.
John Lemon (1828-1887) was a British architect known for his work in the Gothic Revival style. He designed several notable churches and buildings in the south of England, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Woking, Surrey.
Ralph Lemon (born 1952) is an American choreographer and dancer recognized for his experimental and interdisciplinary approach to dance. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his innovative performances and contributions to contemporary dance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemon
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemon 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 Lemon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.2% · 8,515
- Black or African American28.5% · 4,030
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 747
- Two or more races4.6% · 651
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemon
Lemon 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
#2,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,140
+567 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#2,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,147
-993 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 4.73
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,283 | 14,573 | 5.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,393 | 15,140 | 5.13 | +567 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #2,487 | 14,147 | 4.73 | -993 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 94 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 Lemon 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 | #2,393 | #2,487 | -3.9% |
| Count | 15,140 | 14,147 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.13 | 4.73 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemon bearers went from 15,140 to 14,147 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,393 to #2,487.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lemon
FAQ
Lemon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemon?
Name Census estimates that about 16,223 living Americans carry the surname Lemon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,128 residents.
How common is Lemon?
Lemon ranks #2,487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,147 people with the surname Lemon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,223), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Lemon.
Has Lemon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemon went from 15,140 recorded bearers to 14,147. That is a decrease of 993 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,393 to #2,487.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Lemon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.2% (8,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.2%), Black (28.5%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Lemon (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 Lemon mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "hlēomonn," meaning a lover or sweetheart. 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 Lemon (4.73 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 Lemon?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Lemon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.