2000
#15,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Luca
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone from the city of Lucca.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,121 Americans carry the last name Luca. That puts it at #15,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luca 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 Luca with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,600
Census rank
#15,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,850 bearers of the surname Luca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luca, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luca
Among Census respondents with the surname Luca, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Luca 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 Luca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 1,603
- Hispanic or Latino9.7% · 180
- Black or African American1.4% · 26
- Two or more races1.2% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luca
Luca 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
#15,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,837
+126 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 169 places
2020
#15,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,850
+13 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 564 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,676 | 1,711 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,845 | 1,837 | 0.62 | +126 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 169 places |
| 2020 | #15,281 | 1,850 | 0.62 | +13 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 564 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 Luca 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 | #15,845 | #15,281 | 3.6% |
| Count | 1,837 | 1,850 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.62 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luca bearers went from 1,837 to 1,850 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 564 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,845 to #15,281.
FAQ
Luca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luca?
Name Census estimates that about 2,121 living Americans carry the surname Luca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,600 residents.
How common is Luca?
Luca ranks #15,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,850 people with the surname Luca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Luca.
Has Luca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luca went from 1,837 recorded bearers to 1,850. That is an increase of 13 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,845 to #15,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Luca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luca, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Black (1.4%). 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 Luca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (1,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (9.7%), Black (1.4%). 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 Luca (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 Luca mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone from the city of Lucca. 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 Luca (0.62 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 common is the surname Luca?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Luca, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.