2000
#80,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Lovitz
A surname possibly derived from a form of the Polish word "łowić" meaning "to hunt" or "to fish."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 248 Americans carry the last name Lovitz. That puts it at #91,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,382,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lovitz 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.
Bearers in the US
248
1 in 1,382,074
Census rank
#91,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
216
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 216 bearers of the surname Lovitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lovitz
The surname LOVITZ is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, likely in the regions of modern-day Poland and Ukraine, sometime in the late medieval period or early Renaissance era. Linguists suggest the name is derived from the Slavic root "lov," meaning "hunt" or "catch," possibly indicating an occupational origin related to hunting or trapping.
One of the earliest known references to the LOVITZ name can be found in historical records from the city of Lviv (formerly Lemberg), located in present-day western Ukraine. A document dated 1492 mentions a merchant named Jakob Lovitz who was granted trading rights within the city's guild system.
In the 16th century, the LOVITZ name appeared in various Polish and Lithuanian records, often spelled as "Lowicz" or "Lowitzki." This variation likely stems from the town of Łowicz, located in central Poland, suggesting some LOVITZ families may have originated from or resided in this region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, as the LOVITZ name spread across Eastern and Central Europe, it underwent further spelling variations, including "Lowitz," "Lowitzki," and "Lovitski." Notable individuals from this period include Tobias Lowitz (1757-1804), a German-Russian chemist and mathematician, and Szymon Loviћ (1737-1814), a Polish Catholic priest and writer.
As the 19th century dawned, the LOVITZ surname began to appear more frequently in Western Europe and North America due to increased immigration from Eastern European countries. One prominent figure from this era was Martin Lovitz (1851-1917), a German-American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Lovitz Brewing Company in Philadelphia.
Other notable individuals with the LOVITZ surname include:
1. Solomon Lovitz (1870-1945), a Russian-American painter and illustrator known for his depictions of Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
2. Anna Lovitz (1897-1987), a Polish-American author and educator who wrote several books on Polish culture and history.
3. Robert Lovitz (1922-2005), an American actor and comedian best known for his roles in television shows such as "Barney Miller" and "The Munsters Today."
4. Michael Lovitz (born 1957), an American businessman and investor who co-founded the private equity firm Thoma Bravo.
5. Emily Lovitz (born 1982), an American artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries across the United States and Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lovitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lovitz 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 Lovitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.8% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lovitz
Lovitz 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
#86,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
-4 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,169 places
2020
#91,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
+2 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,577 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,812 | 218 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,981 | 214 | 0.07 | -4 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 6,169 places |
| 2020 | #91,558 | 216 | 0.07 | +2 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 4,577 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 Lovitz 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 | #86,981 | #91,558 | -5.3% |
| Count | 214 | 216 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lovitz bearers went from 214 to 216 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 4,577 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,981 to #91,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lovitz
FAQ
Lovitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lovitz?
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the surname Lovitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,382,074 residents.
How common is Lovitz?
Lovitz ranks #91,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 216 people with the surname Lovitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Lovitz.
Has Lovitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lovitz went from 214 recorded bearers to 216. That is an increase of 2 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,981 to #91,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Lovitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Lovitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lovitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.8%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Lovitz (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 Lovitz mean?
A surname possibly derived from a form of the Polish word "łowić" meaning "to hunt" or "to fish." 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 Lovitz (0.07 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 share the surname Lovitz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.