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

Lorimer, 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 Lorimer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lorimer in America

Lorimer is the 27260th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lorimer surname appeared 887 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lorimer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lorimer 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 Lorimer

The surname Lorimer originated in Scotland in the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle English word "lorymer," which referred to a maker of horse bits and spurs. This occupation-based surname was common in medieval times when many surnames arose from the types of work people did.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name was found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which contained the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Johan le Lorimer" is believed to refer to a Scottish bit maker from this time period.

In the 14th century, Lorimers were recognized as skilled metalworkers and were often members of guilds. A notable early record is from the Burgh Records of Aberdeen in 1398, which mentions "Thomas Lorimer, Lorymer burgess."

During the 16th century, the surname spread throughout Scotland, with records showing Lorimers in various regions such as Fife, Perthshire, and the Borders. One prominent individual was Robert Lorimer (1564-1646), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1642.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Lorrimer, Lorrymer, and Lorrymore. One example is Sir William Lorrimer (1605-1684), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1661 to 1663.

The 18th century saw the rise of Robert Lorimer (1713-1792), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College in South Bridge and the Merchant's Hall on Hunter Square.

In the 19th century, Sir Robert Lorimer (1864-1929) was a prominent Scottish architect and a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. He is renowned for his work on the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle and the Chapel at the University of Glasgow.

Throughout its history, the surname Lorimer has been associated with skilled metalworkers, craftsmen, and architects, reflecting its occupational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lorimer

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!