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

Lim, 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 Lim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lim in America

Lim is the 936th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lim surname appeared 37,021 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Lim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lim 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 Lim

The surname Lim has its origins in China, where it dates back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Chinese word "林", which means "forest" or "woods". The name was likely originally given to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area.

In its earliest recorded form, the surname Lim was spelled "Lin" or "Lín". This spelling can be found in Chinese historical records dating back to the 3rd century BC. Over time, as the name spread to other regions of Asia and eventually to other parts of the world, the spelling evolved into various forms, including Lim, Lym, and Liem.

One of the earliest known mentions of the name Lim can be found in the Hou Han Shu, a historical text from the 5th century AD, which chronicles the Later Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). The text references a scholar named Lim Zhi, who lived during the Eastern Han period (25-220 AD).

Another notable early figure with the surname Lim was Lim Buan, a famous Chinese poet and scholar who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). His works are still studied and appreciated today.

As the name spread beyond China, it became more common in other parts of Asia, particularly in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lim in Southeast Asia dates back to the 15th century, when a Chinese merchant named Lim Leng Heong settled in Malacca, a major trading port in what is now Malaysia.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Lim began appearing more frequently in Western records as Chinese immigrants settled in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable figure from this period was Lim Lip Hong, a Chinese-Australian businessman and community leader who was born in 1836 and played a significant role in the development of the Chinese community in Sydney, Australia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Lim throughout history include Lim Hung Kang (1907-1977), a Malaysian lawyer and politician who fought for Malaysian independence; Lim Chong Eu (1919-2010), a Malaysian businessman and philanthropist; and Lim Chong Yah (1915-1985), a Singaporean economist and academic who helped shape Singapore's economic policies in its early years as an independent nation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lim

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

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

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

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