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

Lemus, 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 Lemus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lemus in America

Lemus is the 1297th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lemus surname appeared 27,079 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Lemus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lemus 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 Lemus

The surname Lemus has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "limus," meaning "slime" or "mud," potentially indicating a connection to an area with marshy or muddy terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lemus surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias, a 14th-century manuscript that documented landholdings and vassals in the Kingdom of Castile. The name appears in various spellings, such as Lemus, Lemos, and Lemas, suggesting its evolution over time.

The Lemus name is also associated with the town of Lemos, located in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain. This place name likely originated from the Latin word "limus," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographical roots.

Among the notable individuals bearing the Lemus surname throughout history are:

1. Pedro de Lemus (c. 1500-1570), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru and served as a lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro.

2. Alonso de Lemus (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish priest and theologian who taught at the University of Salamanca and authored several religious texts.

3. Juan de Lemus (c. 1580-1640), a Spanish navigator and explorer who conducted expeditions to the Pacific coast of South America and the islands of the South Pacific.

4. María de Lemus (c. 1620-1690), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner who held significant estates in Andalusia and played a role in the region's agricultural development.

5. Gaspar de Lemus (c. 1670-1740), a Spanish military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession and later became the governor of the Canary Islands.

The Lemus surname has also been found in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, where it was brought by Spanish settlers and colonists during the colonial era. However, its historical origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula and the regions of Spain where it first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lemus

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

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 Lemus 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 Lemus 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 Lemus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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