ESC 

Name Rank Total 

Searching... 

No names found 

Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah...

1880

First Year

1983

Last Year

1917

Peak Year

#1062

Peak Rank

1K

Total Count

90

Years Active

🌍

## Meaning & Origin of Lem

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Lem is a name with a single cultural origin: English.

Origin data from [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/). 

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* English

📖

## The Story of Lem

American parents first put Lem on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 12 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 39 Lems were born — ranking #1,062 that year. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1983 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 1K Lems have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

🔗

## Variants & Related Forms of Lem

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lem. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Lemuel](/lemuel)

🎶

## Names that sound like Lem

Phonetically similar names — useful when Lem is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* Lemm
* Limb
* [Lim](/lim)
* [Lum](/lum)
* Lumb
* Lym
* Lemn
* Limbe
* Limm
* Lumme
* Lame
* Lime

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Lem

What does the name Lem mean?

Lem is a name with a single cultural origin: English.

What is the origin of the name Lem?

Lem has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Lem in 2026?

In 2026, Lem ranks #5,484 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Lem most popular?

Lem reached its peak popularity in 1917, ranking #1,062 that year with 39 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Lem most popular?

Lem has historically been most popular in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lem.

Is Lem a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Lem is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Lem?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lem include Makoa, Orlo, Lyam. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Lem?

Common variants and related forms of Lem include Lemuel. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

## Similar Names

[👦MakoaPeak #1062](/makoa)[👦OrloPeak #1063](/orlo)[👦LyamPeak #1061](/lyam)[👦FairbanksPeak #1064](/fairbanks)[👦GatesPeak #1064](/gates)[👦CleophusPeak #1064](/cleophus)[👦RockeyPeak #1064](/rockey)[👦DonavinPeak #1060](/donavin)

## About the name Lem 

Lem is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Lem's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #1,062\. Use the chart and map above to compare Lem's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1917 → ](/year/1917)
* [ Names of the 1910s → ](/decade/1910s)
* [ Names starting with "L" → ](/letter/l)
* [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.