2000
#7,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Lukas
A surname of Greek origin meaning "from Lucania," referring to an ancient region in southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,242 Americans carry the last name Lukas. That puts it at #8,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,800 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lukas 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 Lukas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,800
Census rank
#8,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,699 bearers of the surname Lukas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lukas, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lukas
The surname Lukas has its origins in the German language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the masculine given name Lucas, which itself is derived from the Latin name Lucas, meaning "from Lucania" – a region in ancient Italy.
In its earliest form, the surname was likely spelled as Luca or Lucca, reflecting the Latin root. As it spread across German-speaking regions, the name evolved into the modern spelling of Lukas, with variations such as Luckas and Luckhaus also appearing in historical records.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname Lukas can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of charters and documents from the medieval Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence in central European regions by this time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Lukas was a respected scholar and theologian at the University of Prague. Records indicate that he was born around 1320 and played a significant role in the intellectual discourse of that era.
During the Renaissance period, the Lukas surname was associated with several notable artists and artisans. One such individual was Hans Lukas, a renowned goldsmith and engraver from Nuremberg, who lived from 1480 to 1550 and was highly regarded for his intricate metalwork.
Another prominent figure with the surname Lukas was Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, an influential German architect and military engineer who lived from 1668 to 1745. He is renowned for his contributions to the Baroque architectural style, particularly in his design of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna.
In the literary world, Friedrich Lukas, a German novelist and playwright, gained recognition in the 19th century. Born in 1801, he is best known for his historical novels and plays that explored themes of German culture and national identity.
Throughout its history, the Lukas surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Luckasdorf (a village in Saxony, Germany) and Luckau (a town in Brandenburg, Germany), further reflecting its deep roots in German-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lukas
Among Census respondents with the surname Lukas, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lukas 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 Lukas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 3,259
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 118
- Two or more races2.1% · 78
- Black or African American2.0% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lukas
Lukas 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
#8,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,930
-245 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 1,057 places
2020
#8,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,699
-231 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,351 | 4,175 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,408 | 3,930 | 1.33 | -245 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 1,057 places |
| 2020 | #8,543 | 3,699 | 1.24 | -231 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 135 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 Lukas 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 | #8,408 | #8,543 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,930 | 3,699 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.24 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lukas bearers went from 3,930 to 3,699 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,408 to #8,543.
FAQ
Lukas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lukas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,242 living Americans carry the surname Lukas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,800 residents.
How common is Lukas?
Lukas ranks #8,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,699 people with the surname Lukas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Lukas.
Has Lukas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lukas went from 3,930 recorded bearers to 3,699. That is a decrease of 231 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,408 to #8,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Lukas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lukas, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Lukas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (3,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lukas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Lukas (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 Lukas mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "from Lucania," referring to an ancient region in southern Italy. 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 Lukas (1.24 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 Lukas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.