2000
#7,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Lucia
An Italian surname derived from the male given name Lucius, meaning "light" or "illumination."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,235 Americans carry the last name Lucia. That puts it at #8,551 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lucia 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 Lucia with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,934
Census rank
#8,551
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,693 bearers of the surname Lucia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8551st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucia, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lucia
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucia, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lucia 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 Lucia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 3,278
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 256
- Two or more races2.3% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 36
- Black or African American0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lucia
Lucia 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
#8,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,038
+113 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 403 places
2020
#8,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,693
-345 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,814 | 3,925 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,217 | 4,038 | 1.37 | +113 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 403 places |
| 2020 | #8,551 | 3,693 | 1.24 | -345 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 334 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 Lucia 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 | #8,217 | #8,551 | -4.1% |
| Count | 4,038 | 3,693 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.24 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lucia bearers went from 4,038 to 3,693 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,217 to #8,551.
FAQ
Lucia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lucia?
Name Census estimates that about 4,235 living Americans carry the surname Lucia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,934 residents.
How common is Lucia?
Lucia ranks #8,551 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,693 people with the surname Lucia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,235), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Lucia.
Has Lucia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lucia went from 4,038 recorded bearers to 3,693. That is a decrease of 345 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,217 to #8,551.
What does the Census say about the background of Lucia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucia, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lucia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (3,278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lucia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lucia (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 Lucia mean?
An Italian surname derived from the male given name Lucius, meaning "light" or "illumination." 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 Lucia (1.24 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 many Americans have the surname Lucia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.