2000
#13,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Loaiza
A Basque surname referring to a person who lived near a pasture or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,448 Americans carry the last name Loaiza. That puts it at #10,197 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,407 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loaiza 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
3.4K
1 in 99,407
Census rank
#10,197
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,007 bearers of the surname Loaiza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10197th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loaiza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loaiza
The surname Loaiza originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "loaza," which means "muddy" or "swampy." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a marshy area or near a swamp.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces. This document mentions a certain "Alfonso Loaiza," who was granted land in the region.
In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Loaiza residing in the town of Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid. This family was known for their involvement in the wool trade, which was a significant industry in Spain at the time.
During the 16th century, the name Loaiza gained prominence with the exploits of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer and conquistador. Balboa's mother's maiden name was Loaiza, and he is said to have used this name occasionally, although he is better known by his father's surname, Núñez de Balboa.
Another notable figure with the surname Loaiza was García de Loaisa, a Spanish navigator and explorer who led an expedition to the Moluccas Islands in the Pacific Ocean in the early 16th century. His expedition, known as the Loaisa Expedition, was one of the earliest attempts to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west across the Pacific.
In the 17th century, there was a notable poet and playwright named Juan de Loaisa, who was born in Seville in 1593 and died in 1658. He was known for his religious works and was a member of the Hermandad de Sacerdotes Operarios (Brotherhood of Operative Priests) in Seville.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the name Loaiza was carried to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the Philippines, where it can still be found today. However, its origins can be traced back to the marshy regions of medieval Spain, where the name first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loaiza
Among Census respondents with the surname Loaiza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Loaiza 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 Loaiza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 2,840
- White4.9% · 148
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loaiza
Loaiza 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
#11,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,854
+778 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 2,337 places
2020
#10,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,007
+153 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,451 | 2,076 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,114 | 2,854 | 0.97 | +778 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 2,337 places |
| 2020 | #10,197 | 3,007 | 1.01 | +153 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 917 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 Loaiza 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 | #11,114 | #10,197 | 8.3% |
| Count | 2,854 | 3,007 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 1.01 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loaiza bearers went from 2,854 to 3,007 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 917 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,114 to #10,197.
FAQ
Loaiza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loaiza?
Name Census estimates that about 3,448 living Americans carry the surname Loaiza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,407 residents.
How common is Loaiza?
Loaiza ranks #10,197 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,007 people with the surname Loaiza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Loaiza.
Has Loaiza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loaiza went from 2,854 recorded bearers to 3,007. That is an increase of 153 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,114 to #10,197.
What does the Census say about the background of Loaiza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loaiza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Loaiza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (2,840 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loaiza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.4%), White (4.9%), Black (0.3%). 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 Loaiza (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 Loaiza mean?
A Basque surname referring to a person who lived near a pasture or meadow. 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 Loaiza (1.01 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 surname Loaiza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.