2000
#13,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Limas
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the Latin word "limus," meaning "mud" or "slime."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,003 Americans carry the last name Limas. That puts it at #11,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Limas 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
3.0K
1 in 114,137
Census rank
#11,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,619 bearers of the surname Limas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Limas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Limas
The surname Limas originated in Spain during the medieval period. It likely derived from the Spanish word 'lima', meaning 'lime tree'. This suggests the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who cultivated or worked with lime trees. Alternatively, it could have been a locational name for someone who lived near a prominent lime tree or grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Limas appears in the Catalonian region of Spain in the 14th century. A document from 1312 mentions a 'Joan de Limas' from the town of Lleida. The name is also found in 15th century records from the Basque region, spelled 'Limaz'.
In the 16th century, the name spreads to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Juan de Limas, born in 1523, was an early Spanish settler in what is now Mexico. He was granted land by the Spanish Crown for his services in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Pedro de Limas, born in 1601 in Seville, Spain, was a noted explorer and navigator. He accompanied several expeditions to the Philippines and mapped parts of the Pacific Ocean. His detailed journals from these voyages are held in the archives of the Spanish Navy.
The Limas name also has a presence in Portuguese history. António de Limas, born in 1675 in Lisbon, was a prominent architect who designed several churches and palaces in the Portuguese capital in the baroque style.
María de Limas, a Spanish noblewoman born in 1722, was a patron of the arts and sciences during the Enlightenment era. Her salons in Madrid were frequented by leading intellectuals and writers of the time.
As the Limas name spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, variations like Limos, Limaes, and Limaz emerged, reflecting regional linguistic differences. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remained rooted in the lime tree etymology from medieval Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Limas
Among Census respondents with the surname Limas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Limas 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 Limas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.8% · 2,353
- White7.3% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- Two or more races0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Limas
Limas 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
#12,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,504
+433 bearers (+20.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 1,056 places
2020
#11,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,619
+115 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,473 | 2,071 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,417 | 2,504 | 0.85 | +433 bearers (+20.9%) | Up 1,056 places |
| 2020 | #11,494 | 2,619 | 0.88 | +115 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 923 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 Limas 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 | #12,417 | #11,494 | 7.4% |
| Count | 2,504 | 2,619 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.88 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Limas bearers went from 2,504 to 2,619 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 923 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,417 to #11,494.
FAQ
Limas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Limas?
Name Census estimates that about 3,003 living Americans carry the surname Limas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,137 residents.
How common is Limas?
Limas ranks #11,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,619 people with the surname Limas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Limas.
Has Limas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Limas went from 2,504 recorded bearers to 2,619. That is an increase of 115 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,417 to #11,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Limas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Limas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Limas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,353 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Limas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.8%), White (7.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Limas (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 Limas mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the Latin word "limus," meaning "mud" or "slime." 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 Limas (0.88 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 many Americans have the surname Limas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.