2000
#4,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,254
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Luckett
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold locks and keys.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,584 Americans carry the last name Luckett. That puts it at #4,595 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luckett 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 Luckett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,929
Census rank
#4,595
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,486 bearers of the surname Luckett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4595th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luckett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.5%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luckett
The surname Luckett has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "loca," meaning a lock or enclosure, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or worked with locks or enclosures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, where a Robert Locket is mentioned in 1199. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Luckett, including William Loket and Henry Locket.
During the medieval period, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Locket, Lokette, and Luckett. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. The name was also sometimes associated with certain place names, such as Locket in Gloucestershire or Locket's Green in Hertfordshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Luckett throughout history include John Luckett (c. 1530-1605), an English composer and organist during the Renaissance period. Another prominent figure was Samuel Luckett (1738-1825), a British engraver and printmaker known for his intricate engravings of architectural subjects.
In the 18th century, Samuel Luckett (1711-1794) was a respected English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer. His contemporary, Thomas Luckett (1719-1799), was a renowned English theologian and author who published several works on religious subjects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in America can be traced back to William Luckett, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Over time, the name spread across various regions of the United States, with notable individuals such as John Luckett (1809-1890), a prominent farmer and landowner in Tennessee.
While the surname Luckett may have originated from humble beginnings, it has evolved to become a respected and established name throughout England, America, and other parts of the world, with a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luckett
Among Census respondents with the surname Luckett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.5%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Luckett 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 Luckett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.5% · 4,157
- White36.2% · 2,709
- Two or more races4.8% · 360
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 198
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luckett
Luckett 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
#4,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,790
+536 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#4,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,486
-304 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,504 | 7,254 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,547 | 7,790 | 2.64 | +536 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #4,595 | 7,486 | 2.50 | -304 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 48 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 Luckett 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 | #4,547 | #4,595 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,790 | 7,486 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.50 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luckett bearers went from 7,790 to 7,486 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,547 to #4,595.
FAQ
Luckett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luckett?
Name Census estimates that about 8,584 living Americans carry the surname Luckett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,929 residents.
How common is Luckett?
Luckett ranks #4,595 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,486 people with the surname Luckett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,584), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Luckett.
Has Luckett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luckett went from 7,790 recorded bearers to 7,486. That is a decrease of 304 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,547 to #4,595.
What does the Census say about the background of Luckett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luckett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.5%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Luckett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.5% (4,157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luckett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.5%), White (36.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Luckett (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 Luckett mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold locks and keys. 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 Luckett (2.50 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 Luckett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.