Lemuel
Masculine · “devoted to God”
Lemuel is a king nobody can identify. The last chapter of Proverbs is addressed to King Lemuel, quoting the advice his mother gave him, and no such king appears anywhere else.
How old is the name Lemuel?
Lemuel was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Lemuel alive today was born around 1951, making them about 74 years old. About 5,200 people named Lemuel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lemuel most popular?
Lemuel peaked in 1881, reaching #193 nationally. Today it ranks #2020, 1,827 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Where it comes from
From Lemu'el to Lemuel
The story of Lemuel
Proverbs 31 opens with the words of King Lemuel, taught him by his mother, and closes with the portrait of the capable wife that is read in many Jewish households on Friday evenings. Puritan families took the name from that chapter, and it was in steady American use through the nineteenth century — Swift gave it to Gulliver — peaking around 1885.
Meaning
devoted to God
From the Hebrew Lemu'el — le, 'to' or 'belonging to', and el, 'God' — so 'devoted to God' or 'belonging to God'. The construction is transparent. Who the king was is another matter entirely; Jewish tradition sometimes identifies him with Solomon, but the text does not.
How the name formed
- Lemu'el
- Lemuel
Related forms: Lemuel · Lemuel · Lemuel
Pronouncing Lemuel
LEM-yoo-ul
Three syllables, stress on the first. Spanish stresses the last — le-moo-EL.
Nicknames for Lemuel
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1921147 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #193reached in 1881
- Change vs 2022
- +1.4%74 in 2025, from 73
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Lemuel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lemuel in Hebrew — same name
- Lemuel in Spanish — same name
- Lemuel in Portuguese — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Florida, New York.
Lemuels among us
people named Lemuel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 23,082 born in 2025 was named Lemuel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Lemuel sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Lemuel is headed
Lemuel should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Lemuel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Lemuel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is transparent and the Hebrew construction is entirely clear.
- It carries an unusual and genuinely interesting biblical mystery.
- Lem is a short, plain form available immediately.
- Gulliver's Travels gave the name to its narrator, which is a fixed literary association.
- It is strongly period-coded to the nineteenth century in American records.
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What they receive
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Lemuel
Masculine · #2020 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Lemuels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 5,200 people named Lemuel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lemuel in 2025?
- Lemuel ranks #2020 among US boy names in 2025, with 74 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Lemuel?
- About 1 in every 23,082 US boys born in 2025 was named Lemuel — 74 in all.
- Will my child share the name Lemuel with classmates?
- Lemuel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Lemuel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Basil#2020 · Aaryan#2020 · Joah#2020 · Leviticus#2020 · Rigoberto#2020 · Kyan#2020 · Domingo#2020 · Glen#2020
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lemuel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lemuel and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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