Leme Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Leme last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Leme last name
Meaning of the Leme last name: from the Flemish Lem family. Leme is a Portuguese surname with a Flemish story: it is usually traced to the Lem family of Bruges, merchants who settled in Madeira in the 1400s. The last name means "rudder" in Portuguese, a happy coincidence for a seafaring nation. This surname later spread widely in Brazil, especially São Paulo.
Arms associated with the Leme name
Coats of arms associated with the Leme surname belong to Portuguese heraldry, whose blazon traditions reached Brazil.
Get your full Leme family history
This is only a glimpse of the Leme story. The full Leme history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Leme coat of arms. Get the full Leme report.
Leme name FAQ
What does the Leme name mean?
From the Flemish Lem family. Common variants include Lemes, Lem.
Where does the Leme surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, the United States and Angola.
Is there a Leme coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Leme coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (Lisboa, 1984); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).