2000
#9,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,005
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Lucy
Derived from a place name meaning "light," possibly referring to a clearing in the woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,297 Americans carry the last name Lucy. That puts it at #10,625 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lucy 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 Lucy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,959
Census rank
#10,625
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,875 bearers of the surname Lucy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10625th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lucy
The surname Lucy originates from England and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Luce," which was a feminine form of the Latin name "Lucius." The name Lucius itself is believed to come from the Latin word "lux," meaning "light."
Lucy is considered a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of the name likely came from a place called Lucy or Lucey. There are several villages and towns in England with this name, such as Lucy in Northamptonshire and Lucey in Somerset.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lucy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Lucia" in Hampshire.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named William Lucy was recorded as a nobleman and landowner in Warwickshire. He was born around 1230 and played a significant role in the Second Barons' War against King Henry III.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir Thomas Lucy, who lived from 1532 to 1605. He was an English Member of Parliament and is believed to have been the inspiration for the character Sir Thomas Lucy in William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor."
Sir Spencer Lyle Lucy, born in 1816, was a British naval officer and explorer. He served in the Royal Navy and is known for his exploration of the Arctic regions.
In the literary world, Austen Lucy was a renowned English novelist who lived from 1874 to 1932. She is best known for her novel "The Masqueraders," published in 1904.
Henry W. Lucy, born in 1845, was a British journalist and author. He is remembered for his works on parliamentary life and his coverage of the British House of Commons.
Throughout history, the surname Lucy has been found in various spellings, such as Lucey, Lucie, and Luce, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lucy
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lucy 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 Lucy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 2,158
- Black or African American16.7% · 480
- Two or more races3.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lucy
Lucy 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
#10,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,096
+91 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 503 places
2020
#10,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,875
-221 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,902 | 3,005 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,405 | 3,096 | 1.05 | +91 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 503 places |
| 2020 | #10,625 | 2,875 | 0.96 | -221 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 220 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 Lucy 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 | #10,405 | #10,625 | -2.1% |
| Count | 3,096 | 2,875 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.96 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lucy bearers went from 3,096 to 2,875 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 220 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,405 to #10,625.
FAQ
Lucy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lucy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,297 living Americans carry the surname Lucy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,959 residents.
How common is Lucy?
Lucy ranks #10,625 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,875 people with the surname Lucy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Lucy.
Has Lucy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lucy went from 3,096 recorded bearers to 2,875. That is a decrease of 221 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,405 to #10,625.
What does the Census say about the background of Lucy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lucy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Lucy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (2,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lucy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (16.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Lucy (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 Lucy mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "light," possibly referring to a clearing in the woods. 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 Lucy (0.96 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 common is the surname Lucy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Lucy is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.