2000
#9,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Lukens
A surname of Dutch origin referring to a person from the town of Luiken or Leuken, meaning "lockers."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,192 Americans carry the last name Lukens. That puts it at #10,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lukens 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
3.2K
1 in 107,379
Census rank
#10,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,784 bearers of the surname Lukens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lukens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lukens
The surname LUKENS originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "loken," which means "enclosed or locked place." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided in an enclosed area or lived near a locked or gated location.
The earliest recorded instance of the LUKENS surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, an early tax record from 1166. The name appears as "Luken," indicating its transition from a descriptive term to a hereditary surname during the Middle Ages.
In the late 13th century, the LUKENS surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record from 1273. This document lists a John Lukene, providing evidence of the surname's spread across different regions of England.
During the 14th century, the LUKENS surname gained prominence in the county of Buckinghamshire. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 record a Robert Lukene residing in the village of Twyford, suggesting the family's connection to this area.
One notable bearer of the LUKENS surname was Sir Thomas Lukens (1484-1555), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire during the reign of Henry VIII. His family's estate was situated in the village of Wooburn, where the Lukens family had established roots for several generations.
Another historical figure was John Lukens (1646-1719), an English Quaker who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1683. He played a significant role in the early settlement and development of the colony, serving as a surveyor and mapmaker for William Penn.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Lukens (1716-1794) was a notable American surveyor and cartographer. He produced some of the earliest maps of Pennsylvania and contributed to the development of the state's early infrastructure.
The LUKENS surname also has connections to the American Revolutionary War. John Lukens (1753-1835), a Philadelphia-based surveyor and engraver, produced maps and illustrations that were instrumental in the war effort.
Throughout history, variations of the LUKENS surname have included Loken, Lokene, Luken, and Lukyn, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lukens
Among Census respondents with the surname Lukens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lukens 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 Lukens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,562
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 101
- Two or more races2.8% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lukens
Lukens 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
#10,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,151
+48 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 618 places
2020
#10,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,784
-367 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,614 | 3,103 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,232 | 3,151 | 1.07 | +48 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 618 places |
| 2020 | #10,930 | 2,784 | 0.93 | -367 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 698 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 Lukens 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 | #10,232 | #10,930 | -6.8% |
| Count | 3,151 | 2,784 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.93 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lukens bearers went from 3,151 to 2,784 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 698 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,232 to #10,930.
FAQ
Lukens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lukens?
Name Census estimates that about 3,192 living Americans carry the surname Lukens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,379 residents.
How common is Lukens?
Lukens ranks #10,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,784 people with the surname Lukens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Lukens.
Has Lukens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lukens went from 3,151 recorded bearers to 2,784. That is a decrease of 367 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,232 to #10,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Lukens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lukens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lukens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lukens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lukens (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 Lukens mean?
A surname of Dutch origin referring to a person from the town of Luiken or Leuken, meaning "lockers." 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 Lukens (0.93 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 have the surname Lukens?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.