2000
#7,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Lechuga
A Spanish surname derived from the word "lechuga," meaning "lettuce," likely referring to a lettuce grower or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,578 Americans carry the last name Lechuga. That puts it at #6,673 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,448 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lechuga surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,448
Census rank
#6,673
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,864 bearers of the surname Lechuga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6673rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechuga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lechuga
The surname "LECHUGA" originates from Spain, derived from the Spanish word "lechuga," which means "lettuce." Its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
The name is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname or a toponymic surname, referring to a person who lived near or was associated with a place where lettuce was grown or sold. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname for someone with a fondness for the vegetable or someone whose physical appearance resembled the shape or color of lettuce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "LECHUGA" can be found in the "Libro de las Monedas" (Book of Coins), a 15th-century Spanish manuscript that documented various surnames. The name also appears in several historical records from the Spanish Golden Age, such as the "Archivo General de Indias" (General Archive of the Indies), which contains documents related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Historically notable individuals with the surname "LECHUGA" include:
1. Juan de Lechuga (c. 1560 - c. 1630), a Spanish military engineer and architect who worked on various fortifications and defense structures in Spain and the Americas.
2. Gaspar de Leguina (also spelled "Lechuga") (1619 - 1688), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to New Spain (present-day Mexico) and contributed to the early exploration and evangelization efforts in the region.
3. Antonio de Lechuga (fl. 17th century), a Spanish painter active in Seville during the Baroque period, known for his religious and genre paintings.
4. Agustín de Lechuga (1617 - 1685), a Spanish military engineer and author who wrote "Discurso del Capitan de Guerra" (Discourse of the Captain of War), a treatise on military tactics and strategy.
5. Manuel de Lechuga (1861 - 1932), a Spanish painter and art critic who was part of the Impressionist movement in Spain.
The surname "LECHUGA" has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as the town of Lechugilla in the province of Huelva, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lechuga
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechuga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lechuga bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lechuga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.7% · 4,558
- White4.9% · 237
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
- Two or more races0.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lechuga
Lechuga appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,221
+1,348 bearers (+34.8%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 1,425 places
2020
#6,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,864
-357 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,925 | 3,873 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,500 | 5,221 | 1.77 | +1,348 bearers (+34.8%) | Up 1,425 places |
| 2020 | #6,673 | 4,864 | 1.63 | -357 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 173 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lechuga surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,500 | #6,673 | -2.7% |
| Count | 5,221 | 4,864 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.63 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lechuga bearers went from 5,221 to 4,864 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,500 to #6,673.
FAQ
Lechuga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lechuga?
Name Census estimates that about 5,578 living Americans carry the surname Lechuga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,448 residents.
How common is Lechuga?
Lechuga ranks #6,673 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,864 people with the surname Lechuga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lechuga.
Has Lechuga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lechuga went from 5,221 recorded bearers to 4,864. That is a decrease of 357 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,500 to #6,673.
What does the Census say about the background of Lechuga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lechuga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lechuga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (4,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lechuga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.7%), White (4.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lechuga (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lechuga mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "lechuga," meaning "lettuce," likely referring to a lettuce grower or seller. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lechuga (1.63 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Lechuga?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Lechuga is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.