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

Luce, 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 Luce surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luce in America

Luce is the 3672nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luce surname appeared 9,704 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Luce.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luce 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 Luce

The surname Luce originated in France and Italy, deriving from the Latin name Lucius, which means "light" or "bright." It was a common Roman name that evolved over time.

In France, the name traces back to the Middle Ages, with early records showing variations like Luc, Luce, and Lus in regions like Normandy and Brittany. It was also found in medieval Italian records, often rendered as Luce or Luchi.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guillaume Luce, a Norman nobleman recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, indicating the name's presence in England following the Norman Conquest.

During the 12th century, a notable figure named Robertus Luce was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England. In Italy, the Luce family was prominent in Florence, with several members holding influential positions in the city's government and religious institutions.

Among the famous historical figures with the surname Luce were Giovanni Luce (1460-1510), an Italian Renaissance painter known for his altarpieces and frescoes, and Maximilian Luce (1858-1941), a French Neo-Impressionist painter celebrated for his depictions of urban life and labor scenes.

In England, Sir William Luce (1590-1668) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War. Another notable bearer was Henry Robinson Luce (1898-1967), the American publisher who co-founded Time, Life, and Fortune magazines.

The name Luce was also found in various place names across Europe, such as Lucé in France, Luce in Italy, and Luce Bay in Scotland, reflecting the widespread distribution of the surname over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luce

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

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

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

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