Find out how popular the last name Luna is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Luna.

Luna, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Luna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luna in America

Luna is the 298th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luna surname appeared 104,518 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 35 people would have the surname Luna.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luna to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Luna

The surname Luna is of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word "luna" meaning "moon." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a pale or moon-like complexion, or perhaps for someone who was born at night under the light of the moon.

The name can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Juan Luna, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign by Christian kingdoms to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule.

During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish conquistadors and settlers brought the surname Luna to the Americas, where it took root in various regions, particularly in Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is also found in parts of Central and South America, reflecting the spread of Spanish influence and colonization.

A notable historical figure with the surname Luna was Álvaro de Luna, a powerful Spanish nobleman and constable of Castile during the reign of King John II in the 15th century. He was a prominent political figure and military leader, but his ambition and influence eventually led to his downfall and execution in 1453.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Pedro de Luna, an Aragonese cardinal who became the Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII during the Western Schism in the early 15th century. His claims to the papacy were eventually rejected, but he remained a significant figure in the complex ecclesiastical politics of the time.

In the 19th century, Juan Luna y Novicio (1857-1899) was a renowned Filipino painter and sculptor, considered one of the most talented artists of his time in the Philippines. His works, including the famous "Spoliarium," earned him international acclaim and recognition.

In the realm of literature, Ana Luisa Amaral de Almeida Luna (1956-2022) was a prominent Portuguese poet and academic, renowned for her contributions to contemporary Portuguese poetry and her explorations of themes such as feminism, identity, and language.

The surname Luna has also been associated with various places, such as Luna County in New Mexico, United States, and the Luna River in Chile, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name across the Spanish-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luna

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Luna.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Luna was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Luna has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Luna was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Luna, please contact us.

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