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

Lorca, 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 Lorca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lorca in America

Lorca is the 88020th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lorca surname appeared 211 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 Lorca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lorca 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 Lorca

The surname Lorca originates from Spain, with its earliest known records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish town of Lorca, located in the southeastern region of Murcia. The name may have its roots in the Latin word "lurca," meaning "glutton" or "greedy person," although this connection is not definitively established.

One of the earliest documented references to the Lorca surname can be found in the Spanish Inquisition records from the late 15th century. The records mention individuals with this surname who were subjected to trials and interrogations during the Inquisition's persecution of conversos (converted Jews and Muslims).

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Lorca surname was Gaspar de Lorca, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico. He played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and later served as a magistrate in New Spain (present-day Mexico).

The 17th century saw the birth of Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), one of Spain's most renowned poets and playwrights. His works, including "Romancero Gitano" and "Bodas de Sangre," were instrumental in the literary movement known as the Generation of '27 and elevated the Lorca name to national prominence.

In the 18th century, the Lorca surname made its way to the Americas, with records indicating the presence of individuals bearing this name in various Spanish colonies. One such individual was Juan de Lorca, a Spanish military officer who served as the governor of Havana, Cuba, from 1760 to 1765.

Another noteworthy figure with the Lorca surname was José María Lorca (1823-1900), a Spanish politician and writer who served as a member of the Cortes (the Spanish parliament) and published several historical works on Spain's provinces and municipalities.

During the 19th century, the Lorca surname also appeared in other parts of Europe, particularly in France and Italy, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, its roots remain firmly planted in the Spanish region of Murcia, where the town of Lorca continues to be a source of pride and cultural significance for those bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lorca

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!