2000
#38,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Loja
A surname potentially of Spanish origin referring to someone from the city of Loja.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,287 Americans carry the last name Loja. That puts it at #14,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,871 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loja 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
2.3K
1 in 149,871
Census rank
#14,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,994 bearers of the surname Loja in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loja
The surname LOJA is believed to have originated in Ecuador, where it is thought to have derived from the city of Loja, located in the southern part of the country. The city itself was named after the Loja culture, an indigenous group that inhabited the region during pre-Columbian times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LOJA can be found in the writings of the Spanish chronicler Pedro Cieza de León, who documented his travels through Ecuador in the 16th century. He mentions encountering individuals with the surname LOJA in the area around the city of the same name.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the surname LOJA was Francisco de Loja, a Spanish missionary who worked among the indigenous communities of Ecuador. He is known for his efforts in translating religious texts into local languages and for his work in establishing schools and churches in the region.
During the 18th century, the surname LOJA gained prominence with the birth of José Joaquín de LOJA (1718-1792), a Ecuadorian painter and sculptor who is considered one of the most influential artists of the colonial period in Ecuador. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout the country.
Another significant figure was Manuel José de LOJA (1792-1865), a Ecuadorian statesman and politician who served as the President of Ecuador from 1859 to 1865. He played a crucial role in the country's political landscape during the mid-19th century.
In the 20th century, the surname LOJA was carried by the Ecuadorian writer and diplomat, Benjamín LOJA y Loja (1903-1978), who served as the country's ambassador to several nations and was known for his literary works, including novels and short stories.
While the surname LOJA is primarily associated with Ecuador, it is also found in other Spanish-speaking countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the indigenous Loja culture and the city of the same name in southern Ecuador.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loja
Among Census respondents with the surname Loja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Loja 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 Loja surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.6% · 1,886
- White3.0% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loja
Loja 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
#18,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,520
+980 bearers (+181.5%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 20,252 places
2020
#14,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,994
+474 bearers (+31.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 3,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,524 | 540 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,272 | 1,520 | 0.52 | +980 bearers (+181.5%) | Up 20,252 places |
| 2020 | #14,424 | 1,994 | 0.67 | +474 bearers (+31.2%) | Up 3,848 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 Loja 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 | #18,272 | #14,424 | 21.1% |
| Count | 1,520 | 1,994 | 31.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.67 | 28.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loja bearers went from 1,520 to 1,994 (+31.2% change). The surname moved up 3,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,272 to #14,424.
FAQ
Loja surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loja?
Name Census estimates that about 2,287 living Americans carry the surname Loja. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,871 residents.
How common is Loja?
Loja ranks #14,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,994 people with the surname Loja. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Loja.
Has Loja become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loja went from 1,520 recorded bearers to 1,994. That is an increase of 474 (+31.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,272 to #14,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Loja?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Loja in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (1,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loja appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.6%), White (3.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Loja (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 Loja mean?
A surname potentially of Spanish origin referring to someone from the city of Loja. 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 Loja (0.67 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 Loja?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.