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

Lesmes, 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 Lesmes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lesmes in America

Lesmes is the 89069th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lesmes surname appeared 208 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lesmes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lesmes 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 Lesmes

The surname "Lesmes" is of Spanish origin, derived from the town of Lesmes (or Liesmas) in the Castile region of northern Spain. This place name is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "laesimus", meaning "injured" or "damaged", possibly referring to the site of a battle or other violent event in ancient times.

The earliest recorded instances of the Lesmes surname can be traced back to the 12th century in medieval Castilian records and documents. One notable early bearer of the name was Pedro de Lesmes, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa against the Almohad Muslim dynasty in 1212.

In the 13th century, a Franciscan friar named Juan de Lesmes (c.1220-1290) gained renown for his piety and was later beatified by the Catholic Church. He is commemorated as the patron saint of the town of Lesmes.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as Spanish explorers and settlers ventured to the Americas, the Lesmes surname spread to the New World. One noteworthy figure was Diego de Lesmes (1535-1604), a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico and later served as a colonial administrator in New Spain.

Another prominent bearer of the Lesmes name was José Antonio de Lesmes (1702-1772), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who played a crucial role in mapping the coastlines of South America and the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration.

In the 19th century, Juan Manuel de Lesmes (1823-1887) was a renowned Spanish painter known for his portraits and historical scenes, many of which hang in prestigious galleries across Spain and Europe.

Throughout its long history, the Lesmes surname has maintained a strong association with its roots in the Castilian region of Spain, though it has also spread to other parts of the Spanish-speaking world and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lesmes

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

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

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

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