2000
#11,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,497
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Lua
A surname of Portuguese origin, referring to the moon or someone who came from a place named Lua.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,960 Americans carry the last name Lua. That puts it at #9,088 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lua 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
4.0K
1 in 86,554
Census rank
#9,088
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,453 bearers of the surname Lua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9088th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%) and White (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lua
The surname Lua has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Portugal and Spain. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, likely between the 10th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lua can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical text from the 13th century. This surname is thought to be derived from the Latin word "luna," meaning "moon," or the Portuguese word "lua," which also means "moon."
Some historians suggest that the name Lua may have been initially given to individuals who were born at night or under the light of the moon. It could also have been used as a descriptive name for someone with a moon-like complexion or appearance.
In the 14th century, the name Lua appeared in various records and documents from the Kingdom of Portugal. One notable figure from this time was João Lua, a Portuguese nobleman and knight who served under King Afonso IV in the early 1300s.
During the 15th century, the Lua surname spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula and eventually to the New World as Portuguese and Spanish explorers and settlers embarked on their voyages of discovery. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Americas was Diego Lua, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Lua surname gained prominence in Brazil, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Antônio Lua de Sá, a Portuguese-Brazilian military commander and governor of Rio de Janeiro in the mid-1600s.
Another notable figure with the Lua surname was José Lua, a Spanish painter and engraver from the 18th century, known for his religious and historical works.
Throughout the 19th century, the Lua surname continued to be present across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in Latin American countries with significant Portuguese and Spanish influences. One example is Manuel Lua, a Chilean politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the late 1800s.
While the surname Lua has a rich history and can be traced back centuries, it is important to note that this information is based on historical records and may not reflect the complete picture of the name's origins and evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lua
Among Census respondents with the surname Lua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%) and White (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lua 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 Lua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.3% · 3,050
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 224
- White3.9% · 134
- Two or more races1.0% · 33
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lua
Lua 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
#9,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,624
+1,127 bearers (+45.1%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 2,524 places
2020
#9,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,453
-171 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,547 | 2,497 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,023 | 3,624 | 1.23 | +1,127 bearers (+45.1%) | Up 2,524 places |
| 2020 | #9,088 | 3,453 | 1.16 | -171 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 65 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 Lua 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 | #9,023 | #9,088 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,624 | 3,453 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.16 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lua bearers went from 3,624 to 3,453 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,023 to #9,088.
FAQ
Lua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lua?
Name Census estimates that about 3,960 living Americans carry the surname Lua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,554 residents.
How common is Lua?
Lua ranks #9,088 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,453 people with the surname Lua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lua.
Has Lua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lua went from 3,624 recorded bearers to 3,453. That is a decrease of 171 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,023 to #9,088.
What does the Census say about the background of Lua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%) and White (3.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (3,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%), White (3.9%). 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 Lua (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 Lua mean?
A surname of Portuguese origin, referring to the moon or someone who came from a place named Lua. 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 Lua (1.16 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 Lua?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.