2000
#2,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,583
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.15
Uncommon Last name
Lemus
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near an elm grove or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,644 Americans carry the last name Lemus. That puts it at #1,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemus 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
33K
1 in 10,500
Census rank
#1,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,467 bearers of the surname Lemus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemus, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemus
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemus, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemus 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 Lemus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 27,252
- White3.4% · 954
- Black or African American0.3% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 72
- Two or more races0.2% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemus
Lemus 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
#1,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,079
+10,496 bearers (+63.3%)
Per 100,000 9.18
Rank movement Up 707 places
2020
#1,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,467
+1,388 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 9.52
Rank movement Up 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,004 | 16,583 | 6.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,297 | 27,079 | 9.18 | +10,496 bearers (+63.3%) | Up 707 places |
| 2020 | #1,213 | 28,467 | 9.52 | +1,388 bearers (+5.1%) | Up 84 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 Lemus 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 | #1,297 | #1,213 | 6.5% |
| Count | 27,079 | 28,467 | 5.1% |
| Per 100K | 9.18 | 9.52 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemus bearers went from 27,079 to 28,467 (+5.1% change). The surname moved up 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,297 to #1,213.
FAQ
Lemus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemus?
Name Census estimates that about 32,644 living Americans carry the surname Lemus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,500 residents.
How common is Lemus?
Lemus ranks #1,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,467 people with the surname Lemus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Lemus.
Has Lemus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemus went from 27,079 recorded bearers to 28,467. That is an increase of 1,388 (+5.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,297 to #1,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemus, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Black (0.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lemus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (27,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.7%), White (3.4%), Black (0.3%). 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 Lemus (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 Lemus mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near an elm grove or forest. 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 Lemus (9.52 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 Lemus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.