Find out how popular the last name Lobo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lobo.

Lobo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lobo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lobo in America

Lobo is the 6943rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lobo surname appeared 4,830 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Lobo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lobo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lobo

The surname "LOBO" has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, where it emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Latin word "lupus," which means "wolf." It's believed that the surname was initially bestowed upon individuals who lived in areas inhabited by wolves or those who possessed wolf-like characteristics, such as strength and ferocity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the "Livro Velhos de Linhagens" (The Old Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese genealogical record. This manuscript mentions several individuals bearing the name Lobo, including Álvaro Gonçalves Lobo, a prominent nobleman who lived in the 13th century.

The surname Lobo also appears in the "Libro de las Behetrías" (Book of Behetrías), a 14th-century Castilian document that recorded land ownership and distribution in the Kingdom of Castile. This document lists various individuals with the surname Lobo, indicating its presence in medieval Spain.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Lobo. One of the most renowned was Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (1580-1622), a Portuguese poet and playwright renowned for his pastoral works, such as "O Condestabre" (The Constable) and "Corte na Aldeia" (Court in the Village).

Another individual of note was Pedro Lobo (1798-1853), a Portuguese naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Antarctic region. His voyages contributed significantly to the exploration and mapping of the Antarctic coastline.

In Spain, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Lobo was Eugenio Gerardo Lobo (1679-1750), a renowned Baroque poet and satirist. His works, such as "El Filis" and "La Boda de Buitrago," are considered literary masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age.

Rodrigo Lobo Laso de la Vega (1555-1627) was a Spanish writer and philosopher who authored several works on moral philosophy, including "Filosofía Antigua Poética" (Ancient Poetic Philosophy) and "Corte en Aldea" (Court in the Village).

The surname Lobo has also been associated with various place names throughout the Iberian Peninsula, such as Lobo (a municipality in Portugal), Lobos (a municipality in Spain), and Lobón (a town in Spain), further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lobo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lobo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lobo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lobo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lobo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lobo, please contact us.

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