2000
#6,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,992
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Lora
A Romanian surname derived from the word "lăurar," meaning "fiddler" or "violin player."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,184 Americans carry the last name Lora. That puts it at #4,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lora 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
8.2K
1 in 41,881
Census rank
#4,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,137 bearers of the surname Lora in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lora, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lora
The surname Lora originated in Spain and has its roots in the Latin word "laurus", which means "laurel" or "bay tree". This name likely emerged during the medieval period, when surnames began to be adopted in Spain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lora can be found in the 13th-century Catalonian census records. It is believed that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a laurel tree or worked with laurel branches.
Lora is also a place name in Spain, and it is possible that the surname derived from this location. The town of Lora del Río is situated in the province of Seville, Andalusia, and was once an important Roman settlement known as Lora or Laura.
In the 15th century, the Lora family played a significant role in the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Records indicate that Juan de Lora, born around 1420, was a renowned soldier who fought alongside King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the conquest of Granada.
Another notable figure with the surname Lora was Pedro de Lora, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Lora was instrumental in establishing the first European settlement on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and Dominican Republic).
In the 16th century, the Lora family expanded their influence in Spain and the Spanish colonies. One prominent member was Hernán de Lora, born in 1525, who served as a colonial administrator in New Spain (present-day Mexico) and was responsible for establishing several settlements in the region.
As the surname Lora spread across Spain and its territories, various spelling variations emerged, such as Lorea, Lorea, and Laurea. These variations often reflected regional dialects or linguistic influences from other languages.
While the Lora surname originated in Spain, it eventually found its way to other parts of the world, including Latin America and the United States, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lora
Among Census respondents with the surname Lora, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lora 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 Lora surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.2% · 6,509
- White5.6% · 401
- Black or African American1.5% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 71
- Two or more races0.4% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lora
Lora 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
#5,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,030
+2,038 bearers (+40.8%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Up 1,286 places
2020
#4,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,137
+107 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Up 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,287 | 4,992 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,001 | 7,030 | 2.38 | +2,038 bearers (+40.8%) | Up 1,286 places |
| 2020 | #4,798 | 7,137 | 2.39 | +107 bearers (+1.5%) | Up 203 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 Lora 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 | #5,001 | #4,798 | 4.1% |
| Count | 7,030 | 7,137 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.39 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lora bearers went from 7,030 to 7,137 (+1.5% change). The surname moved up 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,001 to #4,798.
FAQ
Lora surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lora?
Name Census estimates that about 8,184 living Americans carry the surname Lora. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,881 residents.
How common is Lora?
Lora ranks #4,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,137 people with the surname Lora. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lora.
Has Lora become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lora went from 7,030 recorded bearers to 7,137. That is an increase of 107 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,001 to #4,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Lora?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lora, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (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 Lora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (6,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lora appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.2%), White (5.6%), Black (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 Lora (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 Lora mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the word "lăurar," meaning "fiddler" or "violin player." 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 Lora (2.39 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 Lora?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.