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

Lucha, 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 Lucha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lucha in America

Lucha is the 66754th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lucha surname appeared 296 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lucha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lucha 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 Lucha

The surname Lucha traces its origins to the Spanish language and culture. It is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century, in the regions of Castile and Aragon, which were at the forefront of the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.

Lucha is derived from the Spanish word "luchar," meaning "to struggle" or "to fight." It is likely that the name was originally bestowed upon individuals renowned for their military valor or their tenacity in the face of adversity during the arduous campaigns against the Moors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lucha can be found in the Libro de las Estampas, a chronicle of the Reconquista compiled in the 13th century. The manuscript mentions a certain Don Rodrigo de Lucha, a valiant knight who distinguished himself in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, a pivotal victory for the Christian forces.

In the following centuries, the Lucha name continued to appear in various historical documents, particularly those related to the military and noble classes. For instance, the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, which houses records pertaining to the Spanish colonization of the Americas, contains references to several individuals bearing the surname Lucha who participated in the conquest of the New World.

Prominent figures throughout history who carried the Lucha surname include:

1. Álvaro de Lucha (c. 1450 - 1522), a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.

2. Catalina de Lucha (c. 1525 - 1585), a noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of the poet Garcilaso de la Vega.

3. Rodrigo de Lucha y Mendoza (1570 - 1634), a Spanish military commander who played a crucial role in the Thirty Years' War, particularly during the Siege of Breda in 1624.

4. María Lucha Godínez (1610 - 1670), a celebrated painter of the Spanish Golden Age, renowned for her religious works and portraiture.

5. Fernando de Lucha y Castilla (1768 - 1843), a Spanish diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Napoleonic Wars.

The Lucha surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Lucha, Luchá, Luchia, and Luche, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic evolutions within the Spanish-speaking world. Additionally, some places in Spain, such as the village of Luche in the province of Zaragoza, bear variations of the name, suggesting a possible connection to the surname's origins or the presence of prominent Lucha families in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lucha

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

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

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

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