2000
#9,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Loo
A Chinese surname derived from the name of an ancient state or place, or referring to a furnace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,364 Americans carry the last name Loo. That puts it at #8,328 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loo 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Loo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,541
Census rank
#8,328
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,806 bearers of the surname Loo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8328th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loo
The surname LOO is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hloo," which means a small hill or mound, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOO can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a person named John de la Loo is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have initially been derived from a place name, with the prefix "de la" indicating "of the."
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as de Loo, de la Loo, and de la Low, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that time. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 recorded a William de la Loo in Oxfordshire, while the Poll Tax returns of 1379 listed a John de la Low in Yorkshire.
During the 16th century, the surname began to take on its more modern spelling of LOO. One notable example is Sir William Loo (1510-1568), a Member of Parliament for Norfolk and a prominent landowner in East Anglia. Another individual of note was John Loo (1550-1612), a clergyman and author who served as the rector of Woodhill in Bedfordshire.
In the 17th century, the LOO surname continued to be found throughout England, with records showing individuals such as Thomas Loo (1620-1685), a merchant from London, and Mary Loo (1650-1715), a Quaker preacher and writer from Gloucestershire.
As the centuries progressed, the LOO surname became more widespread, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the country. One notable figure from the 18th century was Sir John Loo (1725-1789), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Hythe in Kent.
Throughout history, the LOO surname has been associated with various occupations and social statuses, from landowners and merchants to clergymen and writers. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on the historical records of England and continues to be borne by individuals today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loo
Among Census respondents with the surname Loo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Loo 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 Loo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander66.2% · 2,519
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 473
- Two or more races10.2% · 389
- White10.0% · 380
- Black or African American1.1% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loo
Loo 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
#8,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,645
+408 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 286 places
2020
#8,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,806
+161 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,263 | 3,237 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,977 | 3,645 | 1.24 | +408 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 286 places |
| 2020 | #8,328 | 3,806 | 1.27 | +161 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 649 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 Loo 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 | #8,977 | #8,328 | 7.2% |
| Count | 3,645 | 3,806 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.27 | 2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loo bearers went from 3,645 to 3,806 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 649 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,977 to #8,328.
FAQ
Loo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loo?
Name Census estimates that about 4,364 living Americans carry the surname Loo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,541 residents.
How common is Loo?
Loo ranks #8,328 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,806 people with the surname Loo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Loo.
Has Loo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loo went from 3,645 recorded bearers to 3,806. That is an increase of 161 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,977 to #8,328.
What does the Census say about the background of Loo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (10.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (2,519 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (66.2%), Hispanic (12.4%), Two or More Races (10.2%). 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 Loo (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 Loo mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the name of an ancient state or place, or referring to a furnace. 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 Loo (1.27 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 Americans have the surname Loo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.