2000
#2,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.98
Uncommon Last name
Loyd
Derived from the Welsh name "Llwyd," meaning gray or brown, likely referring to hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,622 Americans carry the last name Loyd. That puts it at #2,750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,441 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loyd 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 Loyd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,441
Census rank
#2,750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,751 bearers of the surname Loyd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loyd, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loyd
The surname LOYD has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "leod," meaning people or nation, and may have initially referred to someone who was considered a leader or chief among their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOYD can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a person named Lodewicus de Loyd is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a William de Loyd is listed as holding lands in Shropshire.
The name LOYD has also been linked to various place names, particularly in areas of the West Midlands and Wales. For instance, the village of Loyd in Shropshire may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
In the 15th century, the LOYD name appears in the records of the Court of the Marches, a legal institution established in Wales to maintain law and order. Notably, a John Loyd is mentioned as a landowner in Montgomeryshire in 1444.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname LOYD was Thomas Loyd (c. 1440-1512), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another notable figure was Sampson Loyd (1545-1609), a merchant and landowner from Shropshire who served as Sheriff of London in 1592.
In the 17th century, the LOYD family established themselves as prominent bankers and merchants in London. Samuel Loyd (1615-1672) was a successful goldsmith and banker, while his son, Sampson Loyd (1644-1724), became an influential figure in the City of London and served as an Alderman.
Other historical figures bearing the LOYD surname include Edward Loyd (1673-1747), a wealthy banker and Member of Parliament for Shropshire, and Lewis Loyd (1768-1858), a banker and philanthropist who co-founded the London Missionary Society.
The LOYD name has also been associated with various literary works and artistic endeavors. For instance, Robert Loyd (1733-1799) was a poet and playwright known for his satirical works, while William Loyd (1786-1858) was a renowned artist and engraver who produced numerous landscape paintings and illustrations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loyd
Among Census respondents with the surname Loyd, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Loyd 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 Loyd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 9,058
- Black or African American19.1% · 2,432
- Two or more races5.1% · 644
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 432
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loyd
Loyd 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
#2,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,547
+125 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 4.59
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#2,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,751
-796 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 4.27
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,464 | 13,422 | 4.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,662 | 13,547 | 4.59 | +125 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #2,750 | 12,751 | 4.27 | -796 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 88 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 Loyd 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 | #2,662 | #2,750 | -3.3% |
| Count | 13,547 | 12,751 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.59 | 4.27 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loyd bearers went from 13,547 to 12,751 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,662 to #2,750.
FAQ
Loyd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loyd?
Name Census estimates that about 14,622 living Americans carry the surname Loyd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,441 residents.
How common is Loyd?
Loyd ranks #2,750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,751 people with the surname Loyd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Loyd.
Has Loyd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loyd went from 13,547 recorded bearers to 12,751. That is a decrease of 796 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,662 to #2,750.
What does the Census say about the background of Loyd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loyd, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Loyd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (9,058 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loyd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (19.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Loyd (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 Loyd mean?
Derived from the Welsh name "Llwyd," meaning gray or brown, likely referring to hair or complexion. 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 Loyd (4.27 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 Loyd?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.