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

Lou, 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 Lou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lou in America

Lou is the 10815th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lou surname appeared 2,945 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lou 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 Lou

The surname Lou has its origins in China, where it is believed to have first emerged during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The name is derived from the Chinese word "lou," which means "building" or "structure." It is thought that the surname may have been given to families involved in construction or architecture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lou surname can be found in the "Jiu Tang Shu," a historical text from the 10th century AD. This book mentions several individuals with the Lou surname, including a government official named Lou Zhi who served during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong in the 8th century.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the Lou surname became more widespread, particularly in the regions of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Several prominent individuals from this period bore the Lou surname, including the renowned philosopher and writer Lou Yue (1137-1213), who is known for his influential work "Gengzhitu."

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Lou surname was associated with several notable figures, such as the painter Lou Qingxi (1550-1619), who was renowned for his landscape paintings and calligraphic works. Another important figure from this period was Lou Liang (1422-1491), a scholar and official who served as a minister during the Chenghua Emperor's reign.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Lou surname continued to be prominent, with individuals like Lou Guanzhong (1330-1400), the author of the classic novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," and Lou Jingxi (1593-1671), a respected scholar and poet.

Other notable individuals with the Lou surname throughout history include Lou Zhuangyuan (1455-1533), a renowned scholar and educator during the Ming Dynasty, and Lou Wenhuan (1718-1794), a prominent painter and calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty.

It is worth noting that while the Lou surname is most commonly associated with China, it has also been found in other parts of Asia, such as Korea and Vietnam, likely due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lou

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

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

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

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