2000
#5,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Lemmon
An English surname derived from the Old English word "hlēomonn," meaning a person living near a lemon tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,871 Americans carry the last name Lemmon. That puts it at #5,601 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,884 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lemmon 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 Lemmon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,884
Census rank
#5,601
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,992 bearers of the surname Lemmon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5601st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lemmon
The surname Lemmon is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the Old English words "lemun" or "lemon," meaning a lemon tree or a place where lemon trees grew.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Lemon," referring to a person from a place associated with lemon trees or lemon cultivation. This suggests that the name may have originated in areas where lemon trees were grown, possibly in the southern regions of England.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also spelled in various ways, such as "Lemon," "Lemmon," and "Lemmond." These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Lemmon include:
1. Jack Lemmon (1925-2001), an American actor and musician, known for his roles in films such as "Some Like It Hot," "The Apartment," and "The Odd Couple."
2. Sir John Lemmon (1608-1665), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
3. William Lemmon (1839-1917), an English botanist and explorer, known for his expeditions to the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean region.
4. John Lemmon (1914-1988), an American Major League Baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics.
5. Sarah Lemmon (1836-1923), an American pioneer and author, who documented her experiences as a settler in the American West.
While the surname Lemmon is not among the most common surnames, it has a long and intriguing history, reflecting the influence of Old English language and the cultural significance of lemon cultivation in certain regions of England during medieval times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lemmon
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lemmon 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 Lemmon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 5,184
- Black or African American4.6% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 231
- Two or more races3.7% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lemmon
Lemmon 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
#5,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,170
+38 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 403 places
2020
#5,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,992
-178 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,230 | 6,132 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,633 | 6,170 | 2.09 | +38 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 403 places |
| 2020 | #5,601 | 5,992 | 2.00 | -178 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 32 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 Lemmon 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 | #5,633 | #5,601 | 0.6% |
| Count | 6,170 | 5,992 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.09 | 2.00 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lemmon bearers went from 6,170 to 5,992 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,633 to #5,601.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lemmon
FAQ
Lemmon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lemmon?
Name Census estimates that about 6,871 living Americans carry the surname Lemmon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,884 residents.
How common is Lemmon?
Lemmon ranks #5,601 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,992 people with the surname Lemmon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,871), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lemmon.
Has Lemmon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lemmon went from 6,170 recorded bearers to 5,992. That is a decrease of 178 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,633 to #5,601.
What does the Census say about the background of Lemmon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lemmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Lemmon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (5,184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lemmon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (4.6%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Lemmon (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 Lemmon mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "hlēomonn," meaning a person living near a lemon tree. 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 Lemmon (2.00 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 Lemmon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.