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

Loveless, 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 Loveless surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loveless in America

Loveless is the 3718th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loveless surname appeared 9,533 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Loveless.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loveless 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 Loveless

The surname Loveless originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "lufu" meaning love and "leas" meaning lacking or without, essentially describing someone who was considered unloved or unloving.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 12th century in Yorkshire, where one Roger Lovelass was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190. Another early reference can be found in the Cartulary of Byland Abbey in 1275, which mentions a Robert Luffelesse.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various forms such as Luffelesse, Lovelass, and Lovelez, reflecting the variations in spelling common in that era. It is likely that the name originated as a nickname or descriptive term before becoming an inherited surname.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Loveless, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was granted lands in Kent for his service.

In the 15th century, the name continued to appear in records across England, including the Hertfordshire Subsidy Rolls of 1473, which listed a John Lovelez. Another John Loveless was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1524.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name stabilized to its modern form, Loveless. One prominent individual from this period was Sir Francis Loveless (1588-1648), an English politician and Member of Parliament who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

Other notable figures with the surname Loveless include John Loveless (1711-1778), an English theologian and author, and Richard Loveless (1786-1850), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

While the name Loveless may have originated as a descriptive term or nickname, it eventually became an established surname passed down through generations of families in England and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loveless

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

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

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

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