2000
#11,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,398
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Lucky
A nickname-derived surname for a fortunate person or for someone associated with Lucia, the Saint of Light.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,023 Americans carry the last name Lucky. That puts it at #11,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,382 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lucky 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 Lucky with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,382
Census rank
#11,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,636 bearers of the surname Lucky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucky, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lucky
The surname Lucky is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "gelucca," which means fortune or luck. The name was likely originally bestowed upon someone who was considered fortunate or lucky, perhaps due to a significant stroke of good fortune or a prosperous life.
The earliest recorded instances of the Lucky surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273, which mentions a William le Luky, and the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, listing a Thomas Lucki.
During the medieval period, the Lucky surname was also associated with certain place names, particularly in areas where the name was prevalent. For example, the village of Lucky in Wiltshire, England, may have contributed to the surname's development in that region.
One notable early bearer of the Lucky surname was Sir Thomas Lucky, a prominent English landowner and knight who lived during the reign of Edward III in the 14th century. He was recorded as holding lands in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, and his name appears in various legal documents and land transactions from that era.
Another historically significant individual with the Lucky surname was John Lucky, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the 16th century. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and served as Sheriff of London in 1544.
In the 17th century, the Lucky surname gained further recognition with the birth of William Lucky (1623-1681), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Treatise on the Soul of Man" and "The Doctrine of the Last Judgement."
Moving into the 18th century, we encounter Sir Francis Lucky (1705-1772), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Wars of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He rose to the rank of Admiral and was knighted for his military achievements.
Another notable figure from this era was the poet and playwright Richard Lucky (1732-1804), whose works included the popular play "The Jealous Wife" and several volumes of poetry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lucky
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucky, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lucky 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 Lucky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American41.5% · 1,095
- White40.4% · 1,066
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.4% · 274
- Two or more races3.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lucky
Lucky 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
#12,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
+180 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 136 places
2020
#11,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
+58 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 657 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,953 | 2,398 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,089 | 2,578 | 0.87 | +180 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 136 places |
| 2020 | #11,432 | 2,636 | 0.88 | +58 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 657 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 Lucky 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 | #12,089 | #11,432 | 5.4% |
| Count | 2,578 | 2,636 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.88 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lucky bearers went from 2,578 to 2,636 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 657 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,089 to #11,432.
FAQ
Lucky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lucky?
Name Census estimates that about 3,023 living Americans carry the surname Lucky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,382 residents.
How common is Lucky?
Lucky ranks #11,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,636 people with the surname Lucky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Lucky.
Has Lucky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lucky went from 2,578 recorded bearers to 2,636. That is an increase of 58 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,089 to #11,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Lucky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucky, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.4%). 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 Lucky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.5% (1,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lucky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (41.5%), White (40.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.4%). 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 Lucky (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 Lucky mean?
A nickname-derived surname for a fortunate person or for someone associated with Lucia, the Saint of Light. 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 Lucky (0.88 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 Lucky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.