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

López, 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 López surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of López in America

López is the 12th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The López surname appeared 874,523 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 296 people would have the surname López.

We can also compare 2010 data for López 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 López

The surname Lopez has its origins in Spain, with the name being derived from the Lope, a Spanish form of the Latin name Lupus, meaning 'wolf'. The name Lopez first emerged in the medieval Kingdom of Castile, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 11th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Lopez name was Lope Díaz de Haro, a prominent nobleman and military leader who served under Alfonso VIII of Castile in the late 12th century. Díaz de Haro played a crucial role in the Christian victory over the Almohads at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

As the Lopez name spread throughout Spain, it also found its way into various historical records and manuscripts. For instance, the name appears in the Siete Partidas, a renowned legal code commissioned by Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century.

Over the centuries, the Lopez name has been associated with several notable figures. One such figure was Lope de Vega (1562-1635), a celebrated Spanish playwright and poet who is regarded as one of the greatest dramatists of the Spanish Golden Age.

Another prominent bearer of the Lopez name was Rodrigo López de Arriarán (1596-1667), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who played a pivotal role in the colonization of present-day Chile and Argentina during the 17th century.

In the realm of politics, Feliciano López (1609-1676) was a Spanish diplomat and statesman who served as the Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1673 to 1676.

The Lopez name has also been associated with the arts, with one of the most notable figures being Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828), the renowned Spanish painter and printmaker whose works are considered among the masterpieces of Western art.

Another prominent bearer of the Lopez name was Vicente López y Portaña (1772-1850), a renowned Spanish painter and art instructor who played a significant role in the development of Spanish Romantic painting in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name López

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

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 López 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 López 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 López was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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