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 137327th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The López surname appeared 122 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname López.

The history of the last name López

The surname LOPEZM is of Spanish origin, derived from the patronymic form of the personal name Lopez, meaning "son of Lope". The name Lope itself is a contracted form of the medieval Spanish name Lop, which in turn is derived from the Germanic name Ludolf, meaning "people wolf".

LOPEZM is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the areas around Burgos and Cantabria, during the 10th and 11th centuries. It is thought to have been initially used as a distinguishing name to identify individuals who were the sons or descendants of someone named Lope.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOPEZM can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century manuscript that documented the holdings and vassalage relationships in the Crown of Castile. The document mentions several individuals with the surname LOPEZM who held land grants or were vassals of various noble families.

In the 15th century, the name LOPEZM appeared in the records of the Inquisition in Spain, as some individuals bearing this surname were accused of converso ancestry, being descendants of Jews or Muslims who had converted to Christianity during the Reconquista.

Notable historical figures with the surname LOPEZM include:

1. Juan López de Haro (1495-1569), a Spanish conquistador and one of the first European settlers in the region of present-day Mexico City.
2. Fernán López de Córdoba (c. 1470-1521), a Spanish military leader and nobleman who served as the Grand Captain during the Italian Wars.
3. Rodrigo López de Segura (fl. 1541-1563), a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas and the Pacific Ocean.
4. Martín López de Ibor (1598-1649), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and writer who worked in the Philippines and wrote several works on the indigenous languages of the region.
5. Jerónimo López de Ayala (1628-1706), a Spanish noble and military officer who served as the Viceroy of New Spain from 1686 to 1688.

The surname LOPEZM is also closely associated with several place names in Spain, such as Lopera (in the province of Jaén), Lopidana (in the province of Álava), and Loperzano (in the province of Huesca), which may have been derived from the name Lope or related to individuals bearing the surname LOPEZM who settled in or were associated with these locations.

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.

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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