2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lully
A surname possibly derived from the French town of Lully or a diminutive of Louis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Lully. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lully 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 Lully with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Lully in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lully, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.7%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lully
The surname Lully originates from France, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French word "Lou," which translates to "wolf," suggesting a connection to the animal or perhaps a nickname associated with certain characteristics or traits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lully surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions individuals bearing the name Lully in various regions of England, indicating that the surname had already spread beyond its French origins.
During the 13th century, the Lully name gained prominence with the celebrated life of Ramon Lull, a renowned philosopher, logician, and writer born in Palma de Mallorca in 1232. His influential works, such as the "Ars Magna" and "Blanquerna," contributed significantly to the intellectual and literary realms of his time.
In the 16th century, the Lully surname surfaced in connection with Jean-Baptiste Lully, a prominent French composer and musician who was born in Florence, Italy, in 1632. Lully's contributions to the development of French baroque opera and his position as the court composer under Louis XIV cemented his place in the annals of musical history.
Another notable figure bearing the Lully surname was Edmond Lully, a French playwright and librettist who lived from 1610 to 1688. His collaboration with the composer Jean-Baptiste Lully in the creation of numerous operas and ballets played a crucial role in shaping the cultural landscape of 17th-century France.
The Lully name also traces back to various place names, such as the commune of Lully in the Haute-Savoie region of France, which may have contributed to the surname's origins or dispersal across different regions.
While the Lully surname has its roots in France, it has since spread globally, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging in different cultures and languages. However, the name's historical significance remains firmly rooted in its French heritage and the influential figures who have borne this surname throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lully
Among Census respondents with the surname Lully, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.7%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lully 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 Lully surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.7% · 92
- White20.8% · 25
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lully
Lully appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+19 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,663 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 17,663 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 Lully 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 | #159,712 | #142,049 | 11.1% |
| Count | 101 | 120 | 18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lully bearers went from 101 to 120 (+18.8% change). The surname moved up 17,663 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #142,049.
FAQ
Lully surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lully?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Lully. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Lully?
Lully ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Lully. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lully.
Has Lully become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lully went from 101 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 19 (+18.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Lully?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lully, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.7%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lully in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lully appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (76.7%), White (20.8%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Lully (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 Lully mean?
A surname possibly derived from the French town of Lully or a diminutive of Louis. 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 Lully (0.04 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 Lully?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.