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

Lennox, 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 Lennox surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lennox in America

Lennox is the 9097th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lennox surname appeared 3,591 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lennox.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lennox 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 Lennox

The surname Lennox is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the district of Lennox (sometimes spelled Levenax) in the county of Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The name itself is believed to originate from the Gaelic "leamhnachd" meaning "elm-tree" or "elm-wood".

The Lennox family played a significant role in Scottish history, with their ancestral seat being the castle of Dumbarton. One of the earliest recorded references to the name is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where Malcolm de Leuenaux is mentioned as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the Lennox surname gained prominence when Sir John Lennox was appointed Chamberlain of Scotland by King Robert II in 1372. Sir John's son, Duncan Lennox, was created Earl of Lennox in 1488 by King James III.

The Lennox family continued to hold influential positions throughout the centuries. Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (1516-1571), was regent of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. His son, Lord Darnley (1545-1567), was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and father of King James VI.

Another notable figure with the Lennox surname was James Lennox, Duke of Richmond (1612-1655), who was a prominent military commander during the English Civil War and served as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

Other historical figures bearing the Lennox name include Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond (1672-1723), a prominent politician and army officer, and Sarah Lennox (1744-1826), a renowned beauty and socialite of the Georgian era.

While the Lennox surname is predominantly Scottish, it has also been found in various spellings such as Lenox, Lenos, and Lenox-Conyngham, reflecting the minor variations that occurred over time and across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lennox

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

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

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

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