2000
#17,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Lourenco
A Portuguese surname derived from the given name Lourenço, meaning "from Laurentum".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,172 Americans carry the last name Lourenco. That puts it at #14,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lourenco 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lourenco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,806
Census rank
#14,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,894 bearers of the surname Lourenco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lourenco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lourenco
The surname Lourenco originated in Portugal and is a Portuguese form of the Latin name Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum". Laurentum was an ancient city located in the region of Lazio, Italy, near Rome. The name Laurentius was derived from the Latin word "laurus", meaning bay laurel tree.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Lourenco dates back to the 12th century in Portugal. It was often used as a patronymic surname, indicating the given name of the father or an ancestor. The surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Minho, Douro, and Beiras.
In the 13th century, a document from the Mosteiro de Alcobaça, a Cistercian monastery in Portugal, mentions a person named Lourenço Peres. This is one of the earliest known written records of the surname.
In the 14th century, the name Lourenço Mendes is recorded in the Livro Velho de Linhagens, a medieval Portuguese book of lineages. This suggests that the surname was established among the Portuguese nobility during this period.
One of the most famous bearers of the surname Lourenco was Lourenço de Almeida, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator. He was born in 1480 and is known for his expeditions along the west coast of Africa and India.
Another notable figure was Lourenço de Góis, a 16th-century Portuguese humanist scholar and writer. He was born in 1505 and authored works on Portuguese history and culture.
In the 17th century, Lourenço Pires de Carvalho was a renowned Portuguese composer and organist. He was born in 1620 and contributed to the development of sacred and secular music in Portugal.
The surname Lourenco also has historical connections to the Azores Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal. One of the most prominent figures from the Azores was Lourenço Vaz Cabral, a 16th-century navigator and explorer. He was born in 1490 and is credited with the discovery of several islands in the Azores archipelago.
In the 18th century, Lourenço José Ribeiro was a Brazilian architect and urban planner. Born in 1735, he is renowned for his contributions to the architecture and urban design of Rio de Janeiro, including the development of the Passeio Público, one of the city's first public parks.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Lourenco throughout history, showcasing its rich heritage and cultural significance in Portugal and its former colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lourenco
Among Census respondents with the surname Lourenco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lourenco 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 Lourenco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 1,651
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 153
- Black or African American2.0% · 38
- Two or more races1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lourenco
Lourenco 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
#16,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,728
+223 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 723 places
2020
#14,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,894
+166 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 1,611 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,316 | 1,505 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,593 | 1,728 | 0.59 | +223 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 723 places |
| 2020 | #14,982 | 1,894 | 0.63 | +166 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 1,611 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 Lourenco 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 | #16,593 | #14,982 | 9.7% |
| Count | 1,728 | 1,894 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.63 | 7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lourenco bearers went from 1,728 to 1,894 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 1,611 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,593 to #14,982.
FAQ
Lourenco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lourenco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,172 living Americans carry the surname Lourenco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,806 residents.
How common is Lourenco?
Lourenco ranks #14,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,894 people with the surname Lourenco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lourenco.
Has Lourenco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lourenco went from 1,728 recorded bearers to 1,894. That is an increase of 166 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,593 to #14,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Lourenco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lourenco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Black (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lourenco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (1,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lourenco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (8.1%), Black (2.0%). 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 Lourenco (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 Lourenco mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the given name Lourenço, meaning "from Laurentum". 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 Lourenco (0.63 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 last name Lourenco?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Lourenco on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.