2000
#4,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,090
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.00
Rare Last name
Lovejoy
A surname derived from a nickname for a person with a joyous or amorous disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,439 Americans carry the last name Lovejoy. That puts it at #4,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,313 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lovejoy 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 Lovejoy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,313
Census rank
#4,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,231 bearers of the surname Lovejoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovejoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lovejoy
The surname Lovejoy is an English name that originated in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French words "l'ovejoi," which translate to "the joy of the wolf." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a den of wolves or was associated with wolves in some way.
The earliest recorded use of the name Lovejoy dates back to 1189 in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. These rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I. The name appears as "Lovejoy de Barnsley," suggesting that the individual was from the town of Barnsley.
In the 13th century, the name Lovejoy appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls, which were records of landowners in England. These rolls mention a "William Lovejoy" who owned land in the county of Berkshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Lovejoy was Sir John Lovejoy (c. 1320-1395). He was a knight and landowner from the village of Lovejoy in Oxfordshire. This village likely took its name from the surname and was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Loveioie."
During the 16th century, the name Lovejoy underwent various spelling changes, including "Lovejoye," "Lovejoie," and "Loveioye." One notable bearer of the name from this period was Thomas Lovejoy (c. 1550-1625), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 17th century, the name Lovejoy spread to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the New World was John Lovejoy (c. 1635-1677), who settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635.
Another notable figure with the surname Lovejoy was Elijah Parish Lovejoy (1802-1837), an American Presbyterian minister and abolitionist. He was killed by a pro-slavery mob while defending his printing press in Alton, Illinois, becoming a martyr in the anti-slavery movement.
Other individuals with the surname Lovejoy who have left their mark throughout history include:
1. Frank Lovejoy (1912-1962), an American actor known for his roles in film noir and television.
2. Esther Lovejoy (1869-1967), an American physician and one of the first female medical school professors in the United States.
3. Owen Lovejoy (1811-1864), an American lawyer and influential abolitionist who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
4. Richard Lovejoy (c. 1590-1673), an English clergyman and one of the founding settlers of the town of Andover, Massachusetts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lovejoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovejoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lovejoy 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 Lovejoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 6,551
- Black or African American10.3% · 851
- Two or more races4.3% · 358
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 239
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lovejoy
Lovejoy 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
#4,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,351
+261 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#4,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,231
-120 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Up 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,032 | 8,090 | 3.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,249 | 8,351 | 2.83 | +261 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #4,165 | 8,231 | 2.75 | -120 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 84 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 Lovejoy 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 | #4,249 | #4,165 | 2.0% |
| Count | 8,351 | 8,231 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.75 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lovejoy bearers went from 8,351 to 8,231 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,249 to #4,165.
FAQ
Lovejoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lovejoy?
Name Census estimates that about 9,439 living Americans carry the surname Lovejoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,313 residents.
How common is Lovejoy?
Lovejoy ranks #4,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,231 people with the surname Lovejoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lovejoy.
Has Lovejoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lovejoy went from 8,351 recorded bearers to 8,231. That is a decrease of 120 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,249 to #4,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Lovejoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovejoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Lovejoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (6,551 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lovejoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Lovejoy (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 Lovejoy mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a person with a joyous or amorous disposition. 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 Lovejoy (2.75 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 Lovejoy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.