Surname Lemmel - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'L'
Lemmel: What does the surname Lemmel mean?
The last name Lemmel is a German occupational name indicating the ancestral occupation of the original bearer. In German, Lemmel refers to an auctioneer or a hawker at a market. Occupational names such as these were commonly given to individuals in the Middle Ages to indicate an occupation or town of origin.
The name has Germanic origins and would have first been used by a person who publicly sold goods and services at an auction or a fair. The name has been adapted over the centuries and spread across Europe with families who had emigrated.
It is believed that the name Lemmel derives from the Germanic word "Lem", which was the word for an auctioneer or one who sold goods at a market. The suffix "-mel" was a common occupational name-forming suffix which was used to denote a professional or an individual who was specialized in that craft.
Today the last name Lemmel is common to several countries, with a particularly high concentration in the United States, Germany, France, Norway, and England. The name has also been adapted or Americanized over the years and can also be found spelled as Limmel, Lammel, Limmell, and Limmel.
Order DNA origin analysisLemmel: Where does the name Lemmel come from?
The last name Lemmel is most commonly seen in Germany today. According to the website Forebears, Lemmel is the 4,073rd most common surname in Germany, with an estimated 15,665 carriers.
Lemmel is also a popular surname in Austria, where it is the 11,846th most common. Here, it is estimated that around 1,896 people bear the surname.
The Lemmel surname may have derived from the German given name Lemhild or Lemhiild, which is an Old German name that means ‘Somebody who loves words.’ It is possible that the Lemmel surname is derived from the old spelling of this name.
It is noted that the Lemmel surname is also seen in the United States, South Africa, Switzerland, and Denmark. In the United States, the Lemmel surname is the 20,617th most common. In Denmark, it is the 240th most common, while in South Africa it is the 1,589th most common. In Switzerland, it is the 14,860th most common.
The word 'Lemmel' is also used as a term of endearment in the Low German dialect, particularly for children. Therefore, it is possible that some families adopted the name as a nod to this usage.
Variations of the surname Lemmel
The surname Lemmel is an anglicised version of a German last name. Lemmel can originate from two distinct sources, "lemmen" (meaning "to limp") or "Lemmel" (a placename meaning "bare, sparse"). Variants of the surname Lemmel include Lammers, Lemm, Lemme, Lämmel, Lemel, Lemlers, Lämmers, and Lemels.
Spellings and surnames of similar origin include Labrum, Lembeck, Lemmert, and Lempke. These last names derive from the same placename source, meaning "bare, sparse" but may have been used interchangeably over the years among their respective families. Furthermore, there could be some spelling variations due to dialect or regional difference.
Other names of different origins may also sound similar to Lemmel. Names of similar spelling include Lemhelle, Leemhuis, Lehman, and Lehmann. The surnames Lehman and Lehmann both have a Germanic origin and come from the personal name "Lehmann" which is particularly popular in southern Germany. Thepersonal name "Lehmann" comes from the Old High German element "leuha" meaning "people". Meanwhile, the surname Lemhelle is derived from the Middle English word "lemmelen" which means "to twirl or twist in a manner resembling thread".
Additionally, there are various names derived from the German word "Lemmen" which mean "to limp", such as Lemmens, Lemme, Lemmermann, Lemmert, and Lamert. Names such as Lamert may have originated from the Low German word for a lame person, "Lammurt", whereas other names such as Lemme, Lemmermann, and Lemmert derive from the German "Lemmen" with a suffix indicating son of the son of. This could suggest that the ancestor with the Lemmel surname had a physical impediment such as limping.
In conclusion, the surname Lemmel has many variants, spellings, and surnames of similar origin. The specific origin and meaning of the surname may depend on which source the family has derived from—placename or the verb “lemmen”. In both cases, the names may also have spelling variations, so it is important to do further research to uncover the possible variants of the surname.
Famous people with the name Lemmel
- Paul Hamilton Lemmel (1880–1975), chaplain in the United States Navy
- Laura Lemmel (1887–1976), American children's author and poet
- Henry Lemmel (1885–1962), a key figure in the early Pentecostal movement in the United States
- Richard D. Lemmel (born 1935), former United States District Judge
- Dave Lemmel (1932–2020), American basketball head coach
- Lou Lemmel (1905–1986), American football player
- Kelly Lemmel (born 1982), American former tennis player
- Gayle Lemmel (born 1929), American art historian
- George W. Lemmel (1893–1966), American architect
- Bertha Lemmel (1863–1953), American author and evangelist