Boys' name · since 1880
Lemuel
9,965 babies named Lemuel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,208 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,020 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,965
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
9,965 babies have been named Lemuel since 1880, making it today's #2020 boys' name.
Lemuel has 9,965 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2020 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,208 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,020 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 9,965 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lemuel ranks #1,208 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,020 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 9,965 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,208 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,020 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,965
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Lemuel's 9,965 recorded births place it above 97.34% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
29 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Lemuel compares
9,965 Top 9% higher than 91% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lemuel's all-time total is 27x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lemuel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,965 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 147 | 34 | 22,252 |
Lemuel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Lemuel splits its recorded history at 1953: 49% of all births land in the more recent half, 51% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1904 (16 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 147 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Lemuel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 147
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lemuel by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,242 births, 12% of the file).
1920s was Lemuel's strongest decade.
1,242 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Lemuel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 400
1880s
400 births
- 1890s 255
1890s
255 births
- 1900s 255
1900s
255 births
- 1910s
1910s
873 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,242 births
- 1930s
1930s
895 births
- 1940s
1940s
865 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,001 births
- 1960s
1960s
882 births
- 1970s
1970s
670 births
- 1980s
1980s
571 births
- 1990s
1990s
533 births
- 2000s 479
2000s
479 births
- 2010s
2010s
634 births
- 2020s 410
2020s
410 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,242 births (12% of all-time use).
How Lemuel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Lemuel's total volume
Lemuel by state
Where Lemuel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 693 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 484 | 4.9% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 351 | 3.5% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 341 | 3.4% |
| #5 | Florida | | 299 | 3.0% |
| #6 | New York | | 278 | 2.8% |
| #7 | California | | 276 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 225 | 2.3% |
693 of 9,965 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 29 reporting states.
Lemuel appears in 29 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lemuel? ▼
Where does Lemuel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lemuel most popular? ▼
Where is Lemuel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Lemuel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Lemuel? ▼
What to do with Lemuel's data
- Lemuel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,242 total births); usage has since declined to 410 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Lemuels (693 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lemuel
Nearby Names Like Lemuel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lemuel
Compare Lemuel side by side: Lemuel vs Lemar Lemuel vs Lem Lemuel vs Lemon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lemuel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lemuel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lemuel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.