2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lovie
An English surname derived from the word "love", possibly referring to an affectionate or beloved person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Lovie. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lovie 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 Lovie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Lovie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovie, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lovie
The surname "Lovie" is believed to have originated in Scotland during the late 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "lùbaidh," meaning "modest" or "humble." The name may also be related to the Old English word "lufu," which means "love" or "affection."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Lovie" appears in the Scottish Parish Registers of Lanarkshire in 1598, where a person named John Lovie is mentioned. Another early record dates back to 1612, when a William Lovie was listed in the Burgh Records of Aberdeen.
In the 17th century, the name "Lovie" was primarily concentrated in the Aberdeenshire and Angus regions of Scotland. During this period, several notable individuals bore this surname, including Robert Lovie (1620-1688), a Scottish minister and author who wrote a treatise on the Book of Revelation.
As the name spread throughout Scotland, various spellings emerged, such as "Lovey," "Lovy," and "Lovey." In the 18th century, the name appeared in several parish records in Fife, including the baptism of James Lovie in 1736 in the parish of Kilrenny.
One of the most prominent individuals with the surname "Lovie" was Sir John Lovie (1768-1842), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1834 to 1835. Another notable figure was Alexander Lovie (1810-1877), a Scottish architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Aberdeen.
In the 19th century, the name "Lovie" continued to be prevalent in Aberdeenshire and Angus, with several individuals bearing this surname making significant contributions in various fields. One such person was James Lovie (1845-1920), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Lovie Institute in Arbroath, providing educational opportunities for underprivileged children.
Throughout its history, the surname "Lovie" has been linked to various place names, such as Loverstone in Aberdeenshire and Lovehill in Angus, reflecting the geographic origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lovie
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovie, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lovie 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 Lovie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 11
- Black or African American6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lovie
Lovie 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+12 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,452 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 2,452 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Lovie 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 | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lovie bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Lovie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lovie?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Lovie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Lovie?
Lovie ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Lovie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lovie.
Has Lovie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lovie went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Lovie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovie, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (6.0%). 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 Lovie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lovie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Hispanic (9.5%), Black (6.0%). 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 Lovie (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 Lovie mean?
An English surname derived from the word "love", possibly referring to an affectionate or beloved person. 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 Lovie (0.04 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 common is the surname Lovie?
If you just want to know how common the surname Lovie is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.