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

Lucia, 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 Lucia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lucia in America

Lucia is the 8217th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lucia surname appeared 4,038 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 Lucia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lucia 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 Lucia

The surname Lucia originated in Italy, derived from the Latin name Lucius, which means "light" or "bright." It can be traced back to ancient Roman times and was initially used as a personal name before becoming a family name.

One of the earliest known records of the name Lucia as a surname appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava dei Tirreni in Campania, Italy, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the surname was already in use in Southern Italy during this period.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Lucia was prevalent in various regions of Italy, particularly in the central and southern parts of the country. It was commonly found in areas such as Rome, Naples, and Sicily. The name's popularity may have been influenced by the veneration of Saint Lucy, a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse, Sicily, whose feast day is celebrated on December 13th.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Lucia da Siena (c. 1270-1348) was a Franciscan tertiary and mystic from Siena, Italy. She is known for her spiritual writings and her devotion to the Catholic faith.

Another historical figure with the surname Lucia was Girolamo Lucia (1624-1679), an Italian painter from Naples who specialized in still-life and genre paintings. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Italy.

In the 16th century, the name Lucia was also associated with the town of Lucca, located in Tuscany, Italy. The town's name is derived from the Latin word "luca," meaning "grove" or "sacred wood." It is possible that some individuals with the surname Lucia may have originated from or been associated with this region.

One of the earliest known instances of the surname Lucia outside of Italy can be found in Spain, where it appeared as "Lucía" or "Lucia." An example is Juan de Lucía (c. 1510-1584), a Spanish composer and organist active in the Renaissance period.

While the surname Lucia has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and intermarriage. However, its historical significance and linguistic origins can be traced back to the Latin name Lucius and the ancient Roman civilization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lucia

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!