2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Llosa
A Spanish surname derived from a geographical location or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 230 Americans carry the last name Llosa. That puts it at #96,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,490,236 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Llosa 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
230
1 in 1,490,236
Census rank
#96,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
201
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 201 bearers of the surname Llosa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Llosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Llosa
The surname Llosa is of Spanish origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, derived from a place name or a locality.
Llosa is thought to be a variant of the Spanish word "losa," which means a flat stone slab or a paving stone. This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or owned land with such stone slabs or paved areas.
Historical records indicate that the surname Llosa can be found in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia. It is particularly prevalent in the province of Barcelona, where it has been documented since the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Llosa can be found in the Llibre del Repartiment, a historical document from the 13th century that records the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Christian conquest. This document mentions individuals with the surname Llosa, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
Over the centuries, the surname Llosa has been associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Juan Llosa y Valdés (1498-1555), a Spanish military officer and governor who served in various colonial territories of the Spanish Empire, including Cuba and Florida.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Claudia Llosa, a Peruvian film director and screenwriter born in 1976. Her acclaimed works include the films "Madeinusa" (2006) and "The Milk of Sorrow" (2009), the latter of which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
In the literary realm, Mario Vargas Llosa (born 1936) is a renowned Peruvian novelist, essayist, and Nobel Laureate in Literature. Although his paternal surname is Vargas, his mother's maiden name was Llosa, contributing to his recognition and association with this surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Llosa include Manuel Llosa y Puente (1852-1925), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, and José María Llosa (1912-1994), a Peruvian poet and literary critic.
While the surname Llosa may have evolved from various place names or localities over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, where it gained prominence and spread to other regions through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Llosa
Among Census respondents with the surname Llosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Llosa 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 Llosa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.1% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.4% · 23
- White8.0% · 16
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Llosa
Llosa 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
#97,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
+57 bearers (+43.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 25,324 places
2020
#96,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
+14 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97,210 | 187 | 0.06 | +57 bearers (+43.8%) | Up 25,324 places |
| 2020 | #96,965 | 201 | 0.07 | +14 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 245 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 Llosa 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 | #97,210 | #96,965 | 0.3% |
| Count | 187 | 201 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Llosa bearers went from 187 to 201 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,210 to #96,965.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Llosa
FAQ
Llosa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Llosa?
Name Census estimates that about 230 living Americans carry the surname Llosa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,490,236 residents.
How common is Llosa?
Llosa ranks #96,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 201 people with the surname Llosa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Llosa.
Has Llosa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Llosa went from 187 recorded bearers to 201. That is an increase of 14 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #97,210 to #96,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Llosa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Llosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (8.0%). 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 Llosa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Llosa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%), White (8.0%). 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 Llosa (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 Llosa mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a geographical location or place name. 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 Llosa (0.07 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 many people have the last name Llosa?
If you just want to know how many people are called Llosa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.