2000
#3,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.51
Uncommon Last name
Loera
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Loarre, referring to someone from the town of Loarre in Aragon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,925 Americans carry the last name Loera. That puts it at #2,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,614 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loera 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
14K
1 in 24,614
Census rank
#2,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,143 bearers of the surname Loera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loera
The surname LOERA is of Spanish origin, originating from the Castilian region of Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old Spanish word "loera," which referred to a type of fabric or cloth.
In the 13th century, records show the name appearing in various forms, such as "Loera," "Loera de Camino," and "Loera de la Fuente," suggesting it may have been associated with particular locations or families. The earliest known mention of the name dates back to 1235, when a man named Rodrigo Loera was recorded in a legal document from the city of Burgos.
During the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Juan Loera (1425-1498), a renowned Spanish architect and stonemason. His contributions to the construction of several notable churches and cathedrals in Castile, such as the Catedral de Burgos, helped establish the Loera name among the skilled artisan classes of the time.
As the Spanish Empire expanded into the Americas in the 16th century, the Loera surname traveled with the conquistadors and settlers. One notable figure was Diego Loera (1510-1578), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico and participated in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
In the 17th century, the Loera surname appeared in various regions of New Spain (present-day Mexico), as evidenced by baptismal records and land grant documents. One prominent individual was Tomás Loera (1632-1705), a wealthy landowner and rancher in the northern state of Chihuahua.
As the centuries passed, the Loera name continued to spread across the Spanish-speaking world, with notable individuals emerging in various fields. One such figure was Manuel Loera (1875-1942), a Mexican journalist and political activist who played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution and the establishment of the modern Mexican state.
Throughout its history, the LOERA surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from artisans and explorers to landowners and revolutionaries. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical fabric of multiple nations, reflecting the far-reaching influence of Spanish colonization and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loera
Among Census respondents with the surname Loera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Loera 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 Loera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.5% · 11,478
- White4.6% · 557
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 27
- Two or more races0.2% · 25
- Black or African American0.1% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loera
Loera 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
#2,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,218
+3,759 bearers (+39.7%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Up 730 places
2020
#2,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,143
-1,075 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Down 164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,456 | 9,459 | 3.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,726 | 13,218 | 4.48 | +3,759 bearers (+39.7%) | Up 730 places |
| 2020 | #2,890 | 12,143 | 4.06 | -1,075 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 164 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 Loera 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 | #2,726 | #2,890 | -6.0% |
| Count | 13,218 | 12,143 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.48 | 4.06 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loera bearers went from 13,218 to 12,143 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 164 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,726 to #2,890.
FAQ
Loera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loera?
Name Census estimates that about 13,925 living Americans carry the surname Loera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,614 residents.
How common is Loera?
Loera ranks #2,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,143 people with the surname Loera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,925), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Loera.
Has Loera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loera went from 13,218 recorded bearers to 12,143. That is a decrease of 1,075 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,726 to #2,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Loera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Loera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (11,478 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.5%), White (4.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Loera (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 Loera mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Loarre, referring to someone from the town of Loarre in Aragon. 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 Loera (4.06 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 Loera?
Find out how common the surname Loera is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.