US rank #2128 Boys' name Peak 1921 9,890 births

Lemuel — #2128 US boys' name

9,890 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.

1880s4001890s2551900s2551910s8731920s12421930s8951940s8651950s10011960s8811970s6701980s5711990s5332000s4792010s6342020s336
#2128
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 85% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

13% of everyone ever named Lemuel was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

147 babies were named Lemuel in 1921 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Lemuel

The Social Security Administration has registered 9,890 babies named Lemuel between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Lemuel currently holds the #2128 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 147 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Lemuel performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 1,242 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Lemuel shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 693 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Georgia. In total, SSA state-level files list Lemuel in 29 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Lemuel in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 9,890 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Lemuel at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

9,890

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

147 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#2,128

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Lemuel popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1921)
147
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
050100150200 202420051986196719481929191018911880 59

Lemuel by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
1,242 births that decade — 13% of Lemuel's all-time total
1880s4001890s2551900s2551910s8731920s12421930s8951940s8651950s10011960s8811970s6701980s5711990s5332000s4792010s6342020s336

Lemuel by state

Where Lemuel concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lemuel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
693 7.0%
#2 Texas
473 4.8%
#3 Georgia
351 3.5%
#4 Virginia
341 3.4%
#5 Florida
293 3.0%
#6 California
276 2.8%
#7 New York
273 2.8%
#8 Alabama
225 2.3%
North Carolina share of Lemuel's total US births 7.0%
Even split

693 of 9,890 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?
9,890 babies have been named Lemuel since 1880. It currently ranks #2128 among boys. The peak year was 1921 with 147 births.
When was Lemuel most popular?
Lemuel was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,242 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Lemuel most popular?
The top states for the name Lemuel are North Carolina (693 births), Texas (473 births), Georgia (351 births).
How long has the name Lemuel been used?
Lemuel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Lemuel?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lemar, Lem, Lemon, Lemont, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.