Lemon
A surname that likely began as a medieval nickname meaning “dear one” or “sweetheart,” though some families may have a separate origin from Leman/Lehman forms.
The #2,393 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,393 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-attested explanation connects Lemon with Middle English leman, an old word for a lover, sweetheart, or paramour. Older sources trace this back to an Anglo-Saxon form meaning a beloved or dear person, and cite medieval uses such as "the son of the leman." In some cases, however, the surname may reflect later spelling variation or assimilation with Leman/Leman-like forms, so not every modern Lemon family must share one single origin.
History
Medieval records show the name in forms like Leman and Lemon, and later writers treated it as both a nickname surname and, in some lines, a descendant of related forms such as Liefman. The surname is well established in England and appears in English and English-descended records for centuries. In modern usage it has become a fairly uncommon but long-lived surname, with especially visible presence in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers were struck by how many English surnames grew out of affectionate nicknames, and Lemon was often grouped with names like Goodman and Truelove.
From the historical record
“LEMMON. See Lemon. LEMON. O. Eng. lemma?!., paramour, sweetheart — an A- Sax. and C!haucerian word. One " Alan, the sonof theLeman," occurs iu the Hundred Rolls. Its primary meaning seems to be, a person much be- loved, or very dear. "And he seyde lie -n-ould ben hir Limman or para- mour. And sche asked him zif…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom