2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Limkemann
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "from Limkemann".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Limkemann. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Limkemann 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Limkemann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Limkemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Limkemann
The surname Limkemann has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the late 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "limke," which means a small piece of land or a patch of cultivated ground. It is believed that the name was originally an occupational surname given to landowners or farmers who worked on small plots of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Limkemann can be found in the town records of Lüneburg, a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 1597, a man named Hans Limkemann was listed as a landowner in the town's registry. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 16th century.
The earliest known spelling variations of the name include Limkeman, Limkmann, and Lymkemann. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time. Some records also suggest that the name may have been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Limke near Lüneburg, further reinforcing its connection to small parcels of land.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Limkemann family seems to have been primarily concentrated in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Limkemann (1632-1701), a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Ochtmannien, and Anna Limkemann (1678-1745), a prominent midwife in the town of Güstrow.
As the Limkemann family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the name became more widely known. In the 19th century, Karl Limkemann (1815-1891) was a successful merchant and businessman in Hamburg, while Friedrich Limkemann (1867-1932) was a renowned botanist and professor at the University of Berlin.
Another notable figure was Heinrich Limkemann (1892-1968), a German soldier who fought in both World Wars and was awarded the Iron Cross for his bravery during the Battle of Verdun in 1916. In more recent times, Gerhard Limkemann (1926-2004) was a respected author and journalist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of northern Germany.
While the Limkemann name has its roots in the agricultural communities of northern Germany, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of families and individuals who have contributed to diverse fields and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Limkemann
Among Census respondents with the surname Limkemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Limkemann 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 Limkemann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 108
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Limkemann
Limkemann appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 169 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 Limkemann 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 | #141,140 | #141,309 | -0.1% |
| Count | 118 | 121 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Limkemann bearers went from 118 to 121 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #141,309.
FAQ
Limkemann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Limkemann?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Limkemann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Limkemann?
Limkemann ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Limkemann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Limkemann.
Has Limkemann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Limkemann went from 118 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 3 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Limkemann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Limkemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Limkemann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Limkemann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (2.5%). 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 Limkemann (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 Limkemann mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "from Limkemann". 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 Limkemann (0.04 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 people share the surname Limkemann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.