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

Lyman, 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 Lyman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lyman in America

Lyman is the 3079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lyman surname appeared 11,664 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Lyman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lyman 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 Lyman

The surname LYMAN has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'lie' meaning shelter and 'mann' meaning man, thus translating to a man living in a sheltered or secluded area. The name was initially found in various counties across England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LYMAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where it appears as 'Leman'. This spelling variation was common during the Middle Ages and is believed to have evolved from the original Old English pronunciation.

The LYMAN surname has a rich historical presence, with notable mentions in various ancient records and manuscripts. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, the name appears as 'Lemannus' and is listed among landholders in counties like Norfolk and Suffolk.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the LYMAN surname was Sir Richard Lyman (c. 1480 - 1554), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire during the reign of King Henry VIII. Another prominent figure was Henry Lyman (1592 - 1671), a founding settler of Hartford, Connecticut, who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century.

Other notable individuals with the LYMAN surname include:

1. Phineas Lyman (1716 - 1774), an American military officer who served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
2. Theodore Lyman III (1833 - 1897), an American writer, horticulturist, and philanthropist from Massachusetts.
3. Benjamin Smith Lyman (1835 - 1920), an American geologist and educator who served as the principal of Pennsylvania State Normal School, now known as Bloomsburg University.
4. Amasa Lyman (1813 - 1877), an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
5. Chester Lyman (1822 - 1890), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Connecticut.

Throughout its history, the LYMAN surname has been associated with various place names and locations, including Lyman, New Hampshire, and Lyman County, South Dakota, both named after early settlers bearing the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lyman

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

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

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

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