2000
#2,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,539
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.02
Uncommon Last name
Lima
A habitational surname referring to someone who originated from the city of Lima, Peru, or a place with a similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,570 Americans carry the last name Lima. That puts it at #1,708 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lima 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lima with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,542
Census rank
#1,708
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,554 bearers of the surname Lima in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1708th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lima, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (44.6%) and Black (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lima
The surname Lima has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain. It emerged during the medieval period, likely derived from the Latin word "limus," meaning "mud" or "slime." This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near marshy or muddy areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lima can be traced back to the 12th century in Portugal. In the Cartulário de Pendorada, a medieval document from the monastery of Pendorada, the name appears as "Limam" in reference to a landowner or tenant.
The name Lima is also closely associated with the city of Lima, the capital of Peru. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the region in the 16th century, they encountered an indigenous settlement called Limaq, which they later renamed Lima. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname Lima after the establishment of the Spanish colony.
In the Iberian Peninsula, the name Lima can be found in various historical records and documents, such as the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages) from the 13th century, which chronicles the genealogies of noble Portuguese families.
Notable individuals with the surname Lima throughout history include:
1. António de Lima (1570-1631), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled extensively in Asia and Africa.
2. José Joaquim de Lima e Silva (1756-1835), a Brazilian poet and playwright known as the "Father of the Brazilian Theater."
3. Manuel de Lima (1670-1736), a Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
4. María de Lima (1594-1640), a Spanish mystic and Discalced Carmelite nun who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
5. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquês de Pombal (1699-1782), a Portuguese statesman and reformer who used the title "Conde de Oeiras e Lima" as part of his noble titles.
While the surname Lima has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly Latin America and regions with significant Portuguese and Spanish influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lima
Among Census respondents with the surname Lima, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (44.6%) and Black (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lima 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 Lima surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.6% · 9,160
- Hispanic or Latino44.6% · 9,157
- Black or African American6.2% · 1,271
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 487
- Two or more races2.0% · 410
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lima
Lima 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
#1,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,109
+5,570 bearers (+41.1%)
Per 100,000 6.48
Rank movement Up 567 places
2020
#1,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,554
+1,445 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 6.88
Rank movement Up 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,449 | 13,539 | 5.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,882 | 19,109 | 6.48 | +5,570 bearers (+41.1%) | Up 567 places |
| 2020 | #1,708 | 20,554 | 6.88 | +1,445 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 174 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 Lima 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 | #1,882 | #1,708 | 9.2% |
| Count | 19,109 | 20,554 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.48 | 6.88 | 6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lima bearers went from 19,109 to 20,554 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,882 to #1,708.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lima
FAQ
Lima surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lima?
Name Census estimates that about 23,570 living Americans carry the surname Lima. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,542 residents.
How common is Lima?
Lima ranks #1,708 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,554 people with the surname Lima. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,570), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Lima.
Has Lima become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lima went from 19,109 recorded bearers to 20,554. That is an increase of 1,445 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,882 to #1,708.
What does the Census say about the background of Lima?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lima, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (44.6%) and Black (6.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lima in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (9,160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lima appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.6%), Hispanic (44.6%), Black (6.2%). 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 Lima (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 Lima mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who originated from the city of Lima, Peru, or a place with a similar name. 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 Lima (6.88 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 common is the surname Lima?
See how many people have the surname Lima on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.