Lemos
A surname tied to the Galician place name Lemos, best known through the historic County of Lemos in Spain and Portugal.
The #6,579 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 59,986 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lemos is most likely a habitational surname from the place name Lemos in Galicia, in northwestern Spain. In Iberian naming practice, people often took surnames from the lordship, town, or region they came from or held. The place-name itself is ancient and has been associated with the Galician area around the old county of Lemos.
History
The name is historically linked to noble families connected with the County of Lemos, a major title in Spanish aristocratic history. The excerpted source mentions Pedro Álvarez de Cabrera as Count of Lemos and notes the title’s later association with the House of Alba. In the modern era, Lemos is also found as a hereditary surname in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking communities more widely, especially through migration to the Americas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The County of Lemos was one of the most prominent noble titles connected with Galicia, which helped keep the name visible far beyond the original locality.
From the historical record
“de Osorio: de uno de éstos sucedió el Conde D. Pedro Alvarez Osorio de Trastamara, y de él D. Alvaro Osorio, Marqués de Astorga: el Conde de Lemos, D. Pedro Al- varez de Cabrera, descendía también de esta familia. El condado de Lemos pertenece hoy a la casa de Alba, el de Trastamara lo tiene el Duque de Sessa, que…”
— Origen de 300 apellidos castellanos y vascongados