2000
#4,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.54
Uncommon Last name
Luis
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Luis, which originated from the Germanic name Ludwig, meaning "famous warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,759 Americans carry the last name Luis. That puts it at #3,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luis 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 Luis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,857
Census rank
#3,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,382 bearers of the surname Luis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luis, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luis
The surname Luis originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Spanish name Lois, which in turn comes from the Germanic name Lodowicus, a Latinized form of the Old Frankish name Hlodowig, meaning "famous warrior."
In the 8th century, the name was borne by the Frankish ruler Clovis I, who united the Frankish tribes and founded the Merovingian dynasty. The name Luis appeared in early medieval Spanish records and manuscripts, such as the Becerro Gótico de Cardeña, a 12th-century cartulary from the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Luis was Gonzalo Luis, a 13th-century nobleman and military leader from the Kingdom of León. Another notable figure was Juan Luis de Segura (c. 1520-1571), a Spanish poet and soldier who fought against the Moriscos in Granada.
The surname Luis has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. These include Luis de Góngora (1561-1627), a renowned Spanish poet of the Baroque period; Luis de León (1527-1591), a Spanish poet, humanist, and mystic of the Spanish Renaissance; and Luis Vives (1492-1540), a Spanish scholar and humanist who was a contemporary of Erasmus.
In the 19th century, Luis de Rivas (1791-1865) was a Spanish dramatist and politician, while Luis Buñuel (1900-1983) was a renowned Spanish filmmaker and a central figure in the Surrealist movement. More recently, Luis Suárez (born 1987) is a Uruguayan professional soccer player who has played for clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luis
Among Census respondents with the surname Luis, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Luis 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 Luis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino69.0% · 6,474
- White18.8% · 1,767
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 606
- Black or African American3.8% · 352
- Two or more races1.7% · 155
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luis
Luis 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
#3,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,255
+2,410 bearers (+35.2%)
Per 100,000 3.14
Rank movement Up 910 places
2020
#3,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,382
+127 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 3.14
Rank movement Up 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,737 | 6,845 | 2.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,827 | 9,255 | 3.14 | +2,410 bearers (+35.2%) | Up 910 places |
| 2020 | #3,685 | 9,382 | 3.14 | +127 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 142 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 Luis 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 | #3,827 | #3,685 | 3.7% |
| Count | 9,255 | 9,382 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.14 | 3.14 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luis bearers went from 9,255 to 9,382 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,827 to #3,685.
FAQ
Luis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luis?
Name Census estimates that about 10,759 living Americans carry the surname Luis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,857 residents.
How common is Luis?
Luis ranks #3,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.14 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 9,382 people with the surname Luis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.14 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 Luis.
Has Luis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luis went from 9,255 recorded bearers to 9,382. That is an increase of 127 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,827 to #3,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Luis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luis, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Luis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (6,474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (69.0%), White (18.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). 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 Luis (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 Luis mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Luis, which originated from the Germanic name Ludwig, meaning "famous warrior." 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 Luis (3.14 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 Luis?
You can see how many people are called Luis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.