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

Luca, 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 Luca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luca in America

Luca is the 15845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luca surname appeared 1,837 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Luca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luca 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 Luca

The surname Luca has its origins in Italy, where it first appeared in medieval times. It is derived from the Latin name "Lucas," which itself comes from the Greek name "Loukas," meaning "from Lucania." Lucania was an ancient region in southern Italy, indicating that the name may have originated from that area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Luca can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of Lombard documents from the 8th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during the Lombard rule in Italy.

In the 11th century, the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This indicates that individuals bearing the surname Luca had migrated to England by that time.

The surname Luca is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Girolamo Luca (c.1482-1556), an Italian jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal matters. Another prominent individual was Giovanni Battista Luca (1614-1683), an Italian painter and engraver known for his religious works.

In the literary world, Carlo Luca (1805-1881) was an Italian poet and playwright who gained recognition for his romantic and satirical writings. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Luca (1876-1960) was an Italian opera singer and vocal teacher who performed in several famous opera houses across Europe.

Luca was also the surname of Ignazio Luca (1892-1945), an Italian soldier and politician who served as a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. During World War II, he was executed by Italian partisans for his support of the Fascist regime.

Throughout history, variations of the surname Luca have included Lucca, Lucche, and Lucchi, which may have originated from the city of Lucca in Tuscany. Additionally, the surname has been associated with various place names, such as Luca di Pietrasanta and Luca di Montefalco, reflecting the geographic origins of different branches of the family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luca

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

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

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

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