2000
#378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 28.22
Common Last name
Luna
A surname of Italian and Spanish origin, meaning "moon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 121,997 Americans carry the last name Luna. That puts it at #289 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 35.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luna 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 Luna with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122K
1 in 2,810
Census rank
#289
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
35.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106,387 bearers of the surname Luna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 35.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 289th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luna
Among Census respondents with the surname Luna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Luna 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 Luna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.2% · 93,886
- White8.2% · 8,721
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2,161
- Two or more races0.7% · 693
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 501
- Black or African American0.4% · 425
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luna
Luna 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
#298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104,518
+28,391 bearers (+37.3%)
Per 100,000 35.43
Rank movement Up 80 places
2020
#289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106,387
+1,869 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 35.59
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #378 | 76,127 | 28.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #298 | 104,518 | 35.43 | +28,391 bearers (+37.3%) | Up 80 places |
| 2020 | #289 | 106,387 | 35.59 | +1,869 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 9 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 Luna 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 | #298 | #289 | 3.0% |
| Count | 104,518 | 106,387 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 35.43 | 35.59 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luna bearers went from 104,518 to 106,387 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #298 to #289.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Luna
FAQ
Luna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luna?
Name Census estimates that about 121,997 living Americans carry the surname Luna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,810 residents.
How common is Luna?
Luna ranks #289 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 35.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 36 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106,387 people with the surname Luna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (121,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 35.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 35.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 36 of them to have the surname Luna.
Has Luna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luna went from 104,518 recorded bearers to 106,387. That is an increase of 1,869 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #298 to #289.
What does the Census say about the background of Luna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Luna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (93,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.2%), White (8.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Luna (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 Luna mean?
A surname of Italian and Spanish origin, meaning "moon." 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 Luna (35.59 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 Luna?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.