Lemuel
2025 SSA
About Lemuel
Lemuel is a neglected Old Testament name, with the friendly nickname Lem, that we're surprised hasn't been picked up on by parents who have known too many Samuels.
In the Bible, Lemuel is mentioned twice in Proverbs as a king, but the name is probably remembered more as the first name of the narrator who journeys to Liliput in Jonathan Swift's satirical Gulliver's Travels.
In the Book of Mormon, Lemuel was one of the sons of Lehi, notable for his rebellion against Lehi and Nephi.
Lemuel was Number 195 in 1881, but started a downward trajectory from which it never recovered.
Pronounced LEM-oo-el.
As of October 2026, Lemuel ranked #2030 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #195 in 1881, Nameberry popularity #491.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,033 | 70 | 36.4 |
| 2015 | #2,008 | 72 | 37.6 |
| 2016 | #2,606 | 48 | 25.3 |
| 2017 | #2,009 | 71 | 38.4 |
| 2018 | #1,848 | 82 | 45.2 |
| 2019 | #2,033 | 72 | 40.1 |
| 2020 | #2,157 | 65 | 37.7 |
| 2021 | #2,266 | 62 | 35.4 |
| 2022 | #2,070 | 73 | 41.8 |
| 2023 | #2,164 | 67 | 39.2 |
| 2024 | #2,142 | 69 | 40 |
| 2025 | #2,030 | 74 | 43.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Lemuel.
- Hosea
- Reynard
- Roald
- Hillel
- Gustav
- Horacio
- Clemenza
- Frederika
- Harald
- Godfrey
- Odell
- Hedvika
- Ammon
- Giacomo
- Benoit
- Larimer
- Ulrich
- Claudio
- Laurin
- Stanislav
Lemuel on lists
Famous Lemuels
- Lemuel
Biblical king mentioned in Proverbs 31:1 and 4
- Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr.
U.S. Marine Corps general
- Lemuel Shaw
American jurist; 19th Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court
- Lemuel Haynes
American Congregationalist minister; first black ordained clergyman in the U.S.
- Lemuel Francis Abbott
English painter
- Lemuel Mathewson
U.S. Army lieutenant general
- Lemuel Pratt Grant
American railroad tycoon
- Lemuel Everett Wilmarth
American painter
Lemuel in pop culture
- Lemuel Gulliver
main character in "Gulliver's Travels"
- Lemuel
character on TV's "The Man in the High Castle"
- Lemuel Wiley
character from the “Spoon River Anthology”
- Lemuel Bridger
a vampire on TV's "Midnight, Texas"
- Lemuel "Lemmy" Barnet
character in British radio serial "Journey into Space"