Explore the Family Name Lemma

The meaning of Lemma

1. Italian: from the personal name Lemma, feminine equivalent of Lemmo, from Guglielma. 2. Ethiopian: from the personal name Lemma, which is interpreted as e.g. ‘he prospered’ in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Ethiopian Bekele, Mengistu, Seble, Aklilu, Amare, Ayele, Derege, Getachew, Girmai, Hirut, Kebede, Mekonnen. Italian Cosmo, Massimo, Angelo, Carmine, Nicola, Sisto, Valentino.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Lemma in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Lemma significantly grew between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Lemma was ranked as the 33,471st most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had risen to 25,037th place, marking a considerable increase of 25.2 percent. The count of individuals with the surname Lemma also increased during this period, from 643 in 2000 to 992 in 2010, which is an impressive growth of 54.28 percent. For every 100,000 people, the proportion bearing the surname Lemma also rose from 0.24 to 0.34, a growth of 41.67 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#33,471#25,03725.2%
Count64399254.28%
Proportion per 100k0.240.3441.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lemma

When looking at the ethnicity of those bearing the surname Lemma, again based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, we see interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. In both years, there were no recorded instances of the surname among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native. However, the percentage of individuals identifying as Black with the surname Lemma dramatically increased from 26.91 percent in 2000 to 48.69 percent in 2010, a significant change of 80.94 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of Lemma individuals identifying as White dropped from 68.27 percent in 2000 to 48.29 percent in 2010, a decrease of 29.27 percent. Those identifying as belonging to two or more races also decreased from 2.8 percent to 0.91 percent, while the percentage of Hispanic Lemma individuals slightly increased from 1.56 percent to 1.81 percent.

20002010Change
Black26.91%48.69%80.94%
White68.27%48.29%-29.27%
Hispanic1.56%1.81%16.03%
Two or More Races2.8%0.91%-67.5%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%