2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lobaina
A Spanish surname derived from the word "lobo" meaning wolf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 360 Americans carry the last name Lobaina. That puts it at #67,683 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 952,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lobaina 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
360
1 in 952,095
Census rank
#67,683
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
314
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 314 bearers of the surname Lobaina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67683rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lobaina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lobaina
The surname Lobaina is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "loba," which means "wolf," and the suffix "-ina," indicating a diminutive or smaller form. Therefore, the name Lobaina can be translated to mean "little wolf" or "wolf cub."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lobaina can be found in a document from the 14th century, where a person named Pedro Lobaina was mentioned as a landowner in the town of Pontevedra, Galicia. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by that time.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Lobaina family was prominent in the city of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia. Several members of the family held positions of importance within the church and local government. One notable figure was Juan Lobaina, who served as a canon of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the late 15th century.
As the Spanish empire expanded across the Americas during the 16th and 17th centuries, some individuals bearing the Lobaina surname ventured to the New World. One such individual was Hernando Lobaina, who was born in Seville in 1560 and later became a colonist in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
In the 18th century, a branch of the Lobaina family settled in the Canary Islands, where they established themselves as landowners and merchants. One prominent member of this branch was Tomás Lobaina, who was born in 1725 and became a successful trader in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Another noteworthy figure with the Lobaina surname was Ignacio Lobaina, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French forces of Napoleon. He was born in Galicia in 1785 and rose to the rank of colonel before his death in 1831.
While the Lobaina surname is most commonly associated with Spain and its former colonies, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname Lobaina in Portugal, France, and even as far as Australia and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lobaina
Among Census respondents with the surname Lobaina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lobaina 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 Lobaina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.1% · 286
- White8.0% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lobaina
Lobaina 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
#78,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
+107 bearers (+78.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 39,669 places
2020
#67,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
+71 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 10,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78,567 | 243 | 0.08 | +107 bearers (+78.7%) | Up 39,669 places |
| 2020 | #67,683 | 314 | 0.11 | +71 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 10,884 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 Lobaina 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 | #78,567 | #67,683 | 13.9% |
| Count | 243 | 314 | 29.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.11 | 31.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lobaina bearers went from 243 to 314 (+29.2% change). The surname moved up 10,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #78,567 to #67,683.
FAQ
Lobaina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lobaina?
Name Census estimates that about 360 living Americans carry the surname Lobaina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 952,095 residents.
How common is Lobaina?
Lobaina ranks #67,683 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 314 people with the surname Lobaina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Lobaina.
Has Lobaina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lobaina went from 243 recorded bearers to 314. That is an increase of 71 (+29.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #78,567 to #67,683.
What does the Census say about the background of Lobaina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lobaina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Lobaina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lobaina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.1%), White (8.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Lobaina (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 Lobaina mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "lobo" meaning wolf. 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 Lobaina (0.11 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 Lobaina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.