2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Loonie
A nickname surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from "lunatic."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Loonie. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loonie 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Loonie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loonie, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loonie
The surname "Loonie" is of Scottish origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "lunnach," meaning "person from Lorne," a region in the West Highlands of Scotland. The name may also have been influenced by the Old Norse word "lundr," meaning "grove" or "small wood."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1542, where a "Donald Lownay" is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests a possible connection to the place name "Lorne" or "Loarn." Additionally, the name "Loanie" appears in a 16th-century charter from the parish of Kilmartin, further solidifying the link to the Lorne region.
In the 17th century, the name took on various spellings, including "Lounie" and "Lunie," as evidenced by records from the parish of Inveraray in Argyllshire. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent in the western coastal areas of Scotland, such as Argyll and Bute.
Notable individuals bearing the surname "Loonie" include:
1. John Loonie (c. 1560 - 1630), a Scottish landowner and prominent figure in the Argyll region during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
2. Mary Loonie (c. 1620 - 1690), a Scottish midwife renowned for her services in the Highlands.
3. Archibald Loonie (1675 - 1742), a Scottish merchant and ship owner who traded extensively with the American colonies.
4. James Loonie (1720 - 1795), a Scottish soldier who served in the British Army during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
5. William Loonie (1795 - 1873), a Scottish-born poet and educator who immigrated to Canada in the early 19th century and became a prominent figure in the literary circles of Quebec.
While the name "Loonie" has its origins in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in regions with Scottish immigration and settlement. However, its roots can be traced back to the historic region of Lorne and the linguistic influences of Scottish Gaelic and Old Norse.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loonie
Among Census respondents with the surname Loonie, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Loonie 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 Loonie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.9% · 94
- Black or African American4.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loonie
Loonie appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 2,163 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 Loonie 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 | #158,432 | #156,269 | 1.4% |
| Count | 102 | 98 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loonie bearers went from 102 to 98 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 2,163 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,269.
FAQ
Loonie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loonie?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Loonie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Loonie?
Loonie ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Loonie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Loonie.
Has Loonie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loonie went from 102 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Loonie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loonie, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loonie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loonie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.9%), Black (4.1%). 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 Loonie (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 Loonie mean?
A nickname surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from "lunatic." 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 Loonie (0.03 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 share the surname Loonie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.