Given name & surname
Lemuel
“devoted to God”·“one who belongs to God”
Lemuel is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “devoted to God” (Hebrew) and “one who belongs to God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “devoted to God” (Hebrew) and “one who belongs to God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
From Hebrew לְמוּאֵל (lemu'él, ləmūʔel, “devoted to God”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
In biblical tradition, Lemuel is the name of a king.
Lemuel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,965
- 9,965 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 147 babies
- 2025
- 74
- #2,030 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 74 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,030 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 147 in 1921. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,168 as a first name in 2020; 227 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.
Lemuel’s family of names
Lemuel has a feminine form in Lemuela. Lemuel has a related form in Lem. Lemuel has a related form in Lemmie.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Lemmyvariant
- Lemvariant
- Lemmievariant
- Lemmuellikely variant
- Lemmeevariant
- Lemmeyvariant
- Lemmivariant
- Lemuellvariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lemuel
- Lemuel Francis Abbottpainter1758–1802
- Lemuel J. BowdenAmerican politician (1815-1864)
- Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.United States Marine Corps (1896-1990)
- Lem WinchesterAmerican recording artist, vibraphonist, jazz musician, police officer (1928–1961)
- Lemuel H. ArnoldAmerican politician (1792-1852)
- Lemuel W. RoyseAmerican politician (1847-1946)
- Lemuel WilmarthAmerican painter (1835–1918)
- Lem BarneyAmerican football player (born 1945)
- Lemuel AbbottEnglish clergyman and poet1730–1776
Characters named Lemuel: Lemuel Gulliver (Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lemuel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hiram
“my brother has been exalted”
>99% boys
Enos
“mankind” · “a man”
>99% boys
Mahlon
“one who is sick”
98% boys · 2% girls
Abe
“father of a multitude; father of nations” · “father of a multitude (of nations)”
>99% boys
Jimmie
“he who supplants” · “she who supplants”
92% boys · 8% girls
Hershel
“resembling a deer”
>99% boys
Nat
“he has given” · “God has given”
>99% boys
Molech
“king”
>99% boys