2000
#6,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,547
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Lemos
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the plural of lemo, meaning "elm tree" or "wooded area with elm trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,766 Americans carry the last name Lemos. That puts it at #6,490 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemos 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 Lemos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,444
Census rank
#6,490
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,028 bearers of the surname Lemos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6490th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemos
The surname LEMOS is of Portuguese origin, believed to have emerged in the late medieval period around the 12th or 13th centuries. It is derived from the Portuguese word "lemos," which means "elm trees," suggesting that the name may have originated from a place or region known for its elm trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LEMOS surname can be found in medieval Portuguese records from the 14th century, where it is mentioned as a place name. In the Livro de Linhagens do Conde D. Pedro (Book of Lineages of Count D. Pedro), a medieval Portuguese genealogical work, the name LEMOS is referenced as a location in the northern region of Portugal.
The LEMOS surname has a strong connection to the town of Lemos, located in the Braga district of Portugal. It is believed that the earliest bearers of the LEMOS surname may have originated from this town or the surrounding areas, taking their name from the place where they lived or held land.
In the late 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, several individuals with the LEMOS surname played significant roles in the Portuguese exploration and colonization efforts. One notable figure was Alvaro de Lemos, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
Another prominent figure was Francisco de Lemos, a Portuguese conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Brazil in the early 16th century. He is credited with founding the city of Salvador in 1549, which became the first colonial capital of Brazil.
In the 17th century, Manuel de Lemos, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, traveled to Japan and worked tirelessly to spread Christianity in the region. He is remembered for his efforts in establishing and strengthening the Catholic Church's presence in Japan during a time of religious persecution.
The LEMOS surname also has a notable presence in the literary world. Basilio da Gama Lemos, a 19th-century Portuguese writer and poet, is renowned for his works that explored themes of love, nature, and human emotions.
Throughout history, the LEMOS surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, explorers, missionaries, and artists. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Portugal, where it was closely associated with specific locations and geographic features, particularly elm trees.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemos
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemos 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 Lemos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino56.1% · 2,820
- White38.5% · 1,937
- Two or more races1.9% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 77
- Black or African American1.3% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemos
Lemos 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
#6,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,147
+600 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 241 places
2020
#6,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,028
-119 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,820 | 4,547 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,579 | 5,147 | 1.74 | +600 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 241 places |
| 2020 | #6,490 | 5,028 | 1.68 | -119 bearers (-2.3%) | 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 Lemos 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 | #6,579 | #6,490 | 1.4% |
| Count | 5,147 | 5,028 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.68 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemos bearers went from 5,147 to 5,028 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,579 to #6,490.
FAQ
Lemos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemos?
Name Census estimates that about 5,766 living Americans carry the surname Lemos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,444 residents.
How common is Lemos?
Lemos ranks #6,490 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 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 5,028 people with the surname Lemos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,766), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 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 Lemos.
Has Lemos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemos went from 5,147 recorded bearers to 5,028. That is a decrease of 119 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,579 to #6,490.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lemos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (2,820 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (56.1%), White (38.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Lemos (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 Lemos mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the plural of lemo, meaning "elm tree" or "wooded area with elm trees." 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 Lemos (1.68 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 Lemos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.