2000
#3,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.99
Uncommon Last name
Limon
A Spanish surname derived from the fruit, likely referring to a person who grew, sold, or lived near lemon trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,844 Americans carry the last name Limon. That puts it at #2,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Limon 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 Limon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,633
Census rank
#2,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,817 bearers of the surname Limon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Limon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Limon
The surname "LIMON" has its origins in Spain, likely emerging in the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "limón," meaning "lemon," which itself comes from the Arabic word "laimun." This suggests a possible Moorish influence in the name's early origins.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "LIMON" can be found in the archives of the Inquisition in Cuenca, Spain, from the late 15th century. It appears that a family by the name of Limon was among those persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition for their religious beliefs.
In the 16th century, the name "LIMON" began to spread beyond Spain, as Spanish explorers and settlers carried it to the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Limon, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas, including Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines. One example is Juan Limon, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of California in the late 1700s.
As the centuries passed, the "LIMON" surname continued to spread across the globe, carried by Spanish migrants and their descendants. Some notable figures include:
1. Miguel Limon (1854-1932), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the governor of the state of Michoacán.
2. José Limon (1908-1972), a renowned Mexican-American modern dancer and choreographer, widely regarded as one of the founders of American modern dance.
3. Graciela Limon (1915-2003), a Mexican-American writer and activist, best known for her autobiographical novel "The Memories of Conquistador."
4. Alejandro Limon (born 1986), a Mexican professional boxer who has held multiple championship titles in the super featherweight division.
5. Carlos Limon (born 1984), a Spanish professional footballer who has played for several clubs in La Liga, Spain's top football division.
While the surname "LIMON" has its roots in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula, it has truly become a global name, carried by individuals of diverse backgrounds and professions across multiple continents and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Limon
Among Census respondents with the surname Limon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Limon 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 Limon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.1% · 12,586
- White6.1% · 847
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 246
- Two or more races0.4% · 54
- Black or African American0.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Limon
Limon 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
#2,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,472
+3,712 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Up 590 places
2020
#2,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,817
-655 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,086 | 10,760 | 3.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,496 | 14,472 | 4.91 | +3,712 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 590 places |
| 2020 | #2,548 | 13,817 | 4.62 | -655 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 52 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 Limon 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 | #2,496 | #2,548 | -2.1% |
| Count | 14,472 | 13,817 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.91 | 4.62 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Limon bearers went from 14,472 to 13,817 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,496 to #2,548.
FAQ
Limon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Limon?
Name Census estimates that about 15,844 living Americans carry the surname Limon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,633 residents.
How common is Limon?
Limon ranks #2,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,817 people with the surname Limon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Limon.
Has Limon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Limon went from 14,472 recorded bearers to 13,817. That is a decrease of 655 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,496 to #2,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Limon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Limon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) 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 Limon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (12,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Limon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.1%), White (6.1%), 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 Limon (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 Limon mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the fruit, likely referring to a person who grew, sold, or lived near lemon trees. 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 Limon (4.62 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 Limon?
See how many people have the last name Limon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.