2000
#26,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Lugar
A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "place" or "location".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,024 Americans carry the last name Lugar. That puts it at #28,415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 334,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lugar 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.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 334,721
Census rank
#28,415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
893
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 893 bearers of the surname Lugar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lugar, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lugar
The surname Lugar is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "lugar" which means "place" or "location" in that language. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, referring to a person's place of residence or origin.
The name Lugar first appeared in records from the Aragon region of Spain, dating back to the 13th century. It was commonly used to identify individuals who lived in or came from a particular village, town, or other geographical location.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lugar can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents and charters from the Kingdom of Aragon. The codex includes mentions of individuals with the surname Lugar, suggesting that it was already in use by the 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Lugar spread beyond the Aragon region as a result of migration and population movements within Spain. It can be found in various historical records and documents from different parts of the country.
Notable individuals with the surname Lugar include Juan Lugar (1498-1572), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Americas. Another prominent figure was Maria Lugar (1620-1692), a philanthropist and patron of the arts in Seville, Spain.
In the 18th century, the name Lugar was also found in some parts of Latin America, likely brought by Spanish settlers and immigrants. One example is Pedro Lugar (1745-1812), a landowner and prominent figure in the city of Guanajuato, Mexico.
As the name Lugar spread across different regions, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some alternative forms include Lugár, Lugare, and Lugaré, reflecting the influence of local dialects and linguistic variations.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lugar include Francisca Lugar (1795-1872), a renowned author and poet from Andalusia, Spain, and Miguel Lugar (1822-1898), a prominent politician and diplomat who served as the Spanish ambassador to several European countries in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lugar
Among Census respondents with the surname Lugar, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lugar 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 Lugar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 801
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 30
- Two or more races2.7% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 23
- Black or African American1.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lugar
Lugar 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
#27,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 883
+26 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#28,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 893
+10 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,061 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,717 | 857 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,354 | 883 | 0.30 | +26 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #28,415 | 893 | 0.30 | +10 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 1,061 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 Lugar 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 | #27,354 | #28,415 | -3.9% |
| Count | 883 | 893 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.30 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lugar bearers went from 883 to 893 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 1,061 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,354 to #28,415.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lugar
FAQ
Lugar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lugar?
Name Census estimates that about 1,024 living Americans carry the surname Lugar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 334,721 residents.
How common is Lugar?
Lugar ranks #28,415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 893 people with the surname Lugar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lugar.
Has Lugar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lugar went from 883 recorded bearers to 893. That is an increase of 10 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,354 to #28,415.
What does the Census say about the background of Lugar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lugar, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lugar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lugar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lugar (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 Lugar mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "place" or "location". 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 Lugar (0.30 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 people are called Lugar?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Lugar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.