2000
#26
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 509,930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 189.03
Very Common Last name
Lewis
A surname of English, Scottish, or Welsh origin, derived from various personal names meaning "renowned warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 591,090 Americans carry the last name Lewis. That puts it at #30 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 172.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 580 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lewis 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 Lewis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
591K
1 in 580
Census rank
#30
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
172.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
515K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 515,459 bearers of the surname Lewis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 172.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewis, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lewis
The surname LEWIS originated in Britain, derived from the Old French personal name "Lew(i)s", which was the Norman form of the Germanic name "Hludwig" or "Chlodovech". This name comes from the elements "hlud" meaning "loud" or "famous" and "wig" meaning "war" or "warrior". The name was introduced to Britain after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded instances of the LEWIS surname date back to the late 11th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers was Radulphus Leu(u)is, who was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was prevalent in various counties across England, including Shropshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the surname was also recorded in Wales, where it was likely adopted by those of Norman descent or by Welsh individuals who adopted the name. The earliest known record in Wales is of a Leuwys ap Gruffydd, who lived in Denbighshire in the late 13th century.
Throughout history, the LEWIS surname has been associated with various notable individuals. One of the most famous was Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809), the American explorer who led the Lewis and Clark Expedition across the western United States. Another notable bearer was C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), the renowned British writer and scholar best known for his Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series.
Other notable figures with the LEWIS surname include Carl Lewis (born 1961), the American Olympic track and field athlete; Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022), the American rock and roll pioneer; and Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), the American novelist and playwright who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930.
Over time, the LEWIS surname has evolved and been spelled in various ways, including Lewys, Leuwis, and Llewis, particularly in Wales. Additionally, some place names in Britain, such as Lewisham in London and Lewistown in Wales, are believed to have derived from the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lewis
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewis, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lewis 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 Lewis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 287,231
- Black or African American34.0% · 175,266
- Two or more races4.8% · 24,858
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 18,523
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 5,846
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3,735
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lewis
Lewis 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
#29
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 531,781
+21,851 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 180.28
Rank movement Down 3 places
2020
#30
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 515,459
-16,322 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 172.45
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26 | 509,930 | 189.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29 | 531,781 | 180.28 | +21,851 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 3 places |
| 2020 | #30 | 515,459 | 172.45 | -16,322 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 1 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 Lewis 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 | #29 | #30 | -3.4% |
| Count | 531,781 | 515,459 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 180.28 | 172.45 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lewis bearers went from 531,781 to 515,459 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #29 to #30.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lewis
FAQ
Lewis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lewis?
Name Census estimates that about 591,090 living Americans carry the surname Lewis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 580 residents.
How common is Lewis?
Lewis ranks #30 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 172.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 172 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 515,459 people with the surname Lewis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (591,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 172.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 172.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 172 of them to have the surname Lewis.
Has Lewis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lewis went from 531,781 recorded bearers to 515,459. That is a decrease of 16,322 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #29 to #30.
What does the Census say about the background of Lewis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewis, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lewis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (287,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lewis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (34.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Lewis (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 Lewis mean?
A surname of English, Scottish, or Welsh origin, derived from various personal names meaning "renowned warrior." 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 Lewis (172.45 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 Americans have the surname Lewis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.