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

Loving, 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 Loving surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loving in America

Loving is the 4933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loving surname appeared 7,135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Loving.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loving 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 Loving

The surname Loving is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lufu" or "luf," meaning "love." This name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive surname, referring to a person with a loving or affectionate nature.

The earliest recorded instances of the Loving surname can be found in various historical records from England, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, which mention a William Lufing. The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 also reference a John le Lufyng. These early spellings of the name demonstrate the evolution of "Loving" from its Old English roots.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a valuable historical record of landowners in England, there are no direct references to the Loving surname. However, it does include entries for places that may have contributed to the development of the name, such as the village of Luffeham in Norfolk, which could be an early form of the Loving name.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Loving surname was Sir William Loving, a prominent English knight who lived during the 14th century. He was a member of the household of King Edward III and participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable figure with the Loving surname was Thomas Loving, an English merchant and explorer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the early English colonization efforts in Virginia and is believed to have established one of the first settlements in the Chesapeake Bay region.

In the 17th century, the Loving family played a significant role in the history of Virginia. Robert Loving, born around 1655, was a wealthy landowner and planter in the colony. His descendants, including John Loving (1737-1805) and Charles Loving (1785-1858), were prominent figures in the region and held various political and military positions.

During the 18th century, the Loving surname also gained recognition in England. John Loving (1721-1798) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Basingstoke and wrote several theological works.

In the 19th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the Loving surname was Richard Loving (1933-1975), an American civil rights activist. He and his wife, Mildred Loving, were at the center of the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loving

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

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

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

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