The Lamb surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 59,913 people carried this name — #561 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,920 people counted. That is up 2% from 58,555 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Lamb surname

1. From Middle English lamb as a nickname. 2. From a short form of Lambert. 3. Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Luain. 4. Possibly also a translation of French agneau.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lamb» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the lamb’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: William le Lambe, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Lamb and Lambe.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 463 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 50 births for the Lamb name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Lambe. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 26
Ulster 13
Munster 6
Connacht 5

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 29 people named Lamb.

Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 16
Bas-Rhin 8
Moselle 4
Finistère 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

29 people named Lamb live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 8
Zurich 7
Aargau 4
Lucerne 4
Fribourg 3
St. Gallen 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 27 people named Lamb live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 17
City of Buenos Aires 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

22 people named Lamb have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 68 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Pomeranian 5
Łódź 4
Lesser Poland 4
Silesian 3
Lublin 2
Masovian 2
Podlaskie 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

64 people named Lamb is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 64

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Lamb was found among the farmers of 14 counties.

It was most frequent in Northumberland: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 30
Durham 28
Worcestershire 22
Derbyshire 21
Oxfordshire 20
Cheshire 12
Yorkshire, West Riding 12
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 10

And 6 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Lamb was recorded 87 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 299th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 147. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

229 families named Lamb, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,355 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 57
North Carolina 46
New York 24
Vermont 19
Virginia 19
Connecticut 18
Pennsylvania 17
Maryland 14
South Carolina 9
Maine 4
New Hampshire 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 249 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Lamb in American newspapers,
1899–1902.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Lamb
The Portland Daily Press 1902-08-22
Newspaper page from Daily Inter Mountain carrying the name Lamb
Daily Inter Mountain 1899-05-25
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Lamb
Daily Kennebec Journal 1902-08-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 12,402 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lamb in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

127,623 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lamb. The most, 19,154, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 57,415
Victoria 23,647
Queensland 19,687
South Australia 9,852
Tasmania 8,739
Western Australia 7,458
ACT (Canberra) 620
Northern Territory 64

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lamb.

Who carried it

People named Lamb,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harriet Mackenzie, Countess of Seaforth
    Harriet Mackenzie, Countess of Seaforth d. 1779 · actor
  • James Lamb d. 1640 · Christian minister
  • Arthur Lamb d. 2008 · painter
  • Thomas Lamb d. 1686 · philanthropist
  • Francis Lamb d. 1700 · engraver
  • John Lamb d. 1412

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Lamb,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,781 records

6,781 records of the Lamb name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,079
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,370
  • Other U.S. records 3,332
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Theodore Lamb

    Born 1939; from Dundee, Florida. U.S. Army, supplyman; killed in action 1965 in South Vietnam. Buried at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Dundee, Florida.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jerry H. Lamb

    Born 1917 in Georgia. Enlisted 1941 at Chattanooga, Tennessee; farm hand from Walker County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maggie Lamb

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; servant. From Bury, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 6,781 records for Lamb in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,330 records

3,330 records of the Lamb name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,716
  • Tasmanian Names Index 566
  • Other Australian records 1,048
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Lamb

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Bangalore, sailing from Bermuda in 1848. Native of Farnborough, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Bridget Lamb

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duchess of Northumberland, sailing from Woolwich in 1852. Native of Sheffield, Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Anne Lamb

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Louth. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in New Norfolk, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,330 records for Lamb in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada470 records

470 records of the Lamb name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 250
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 61
  • Other Canadian records 159
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Nelly Lamb

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nesbitt, bound for Port Matton, aged 21.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alex Lamb

    Came to Ontario in 1881 aboard the Caspian, landing at Halifax, bound for Stonebridge, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Roseleen Lamb

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 61.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 470 records for Lamb in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands324 records

324 records of the Lamb name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 185
  • Dutch population registers 103
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 36
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elizabeth Lamb

    Married in 1869 in Rijssen; factory worker. Died 1876 in Rijssen, aged 30.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Petrus Joseph Lamb

    Married in 1918 in 's-Gravenhage; office clerk. Died 1968 in Voorburg, aged 76.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Anna Lamb

    Married in 1858 in Delft. Died 1897 in Delft.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 324 records for Lamb in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom212 records

212 records of the Lamb name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 103
  • Stirling Council burial records 51
  • Other British records 58
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record George Fairbairn Lamb

    Born 1881 at Monquhitter. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Isabella Lamb

    Died 1994, aged 83; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Lamb

    Buried in 1794 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 23.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 212 records for Lamb in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand72 records

72 records of the Lamb name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 53
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 13
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Francis Lamb

    Died 1963, aged 77; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Lamb

    Buried in 1932 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 54.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 72 records for Lamb in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany59 records

59 records of the Lamb name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Joseph Lamb

    From Maxdorf, Pfalz. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 10 January 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Peter Lamb

    From Langenlohnsheim, Kreuznach. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 November 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 59 records for Lamb in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France13 records

13 records of the Lamb name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Elfriede Emma Lamb

    Born 1902 in Tieffenbach; died 1971 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marius Louis Lamb

    Born 1913 in Strasbourg; died 1993 in Haguenau (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 13 records for Lamb in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Lamb name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Lamb

    Died 1862, aged 44; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lamb.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lamb is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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