Given name & surname
Lema
“one who is cultivated”
Lema is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “one who is cultivated.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “one who is cultivated.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1890. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lema through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 380
- 0 boys · 380 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 17 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,623 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,623 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 17 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 352 as a first name in 2020; 4,108 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lema’s family of names
Lema has a related form in Lemma. Lema has a related form in Lemah. Lema has a related form in Lemmah.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Lema, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Noma
“one who sets an example” · “a farmer”
>99% girls
Orma
“an independent woman; one who is free”
>99% girls
Retta
“he has triumphed”
>99% girls
Uba
“one who is wealthy; lord of the house”
>99% girls
Ola
“one who is precious” · “giver of life: well-being”
>99% girls
Fola
“woman of honor”
>99% girls
Zula
“one who is brilliant; from the town of Zula”
>99% girls
Okal
“to cross”
>99% girls