2000
#96,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Lunas
A surname derived from the Spanish word "luna," meaning moon or crescent-shaped.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Lunas. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lunas 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Lunas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lunas
The surname "LUNAS" is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Galicia, situated in the northwestern corner of Spain. The name is derived from the Latin word "luna," meaning "moon," and was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or worked at a location associated with the moon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LUNAS can be found in the archives of the town of Santiago de Compostela, where a certain Pedro LUNAS was mentioned in a document dated 1487. This document pertained to a land dispute, indicating that the LUNAS family had already established themselves as landowners in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name LUNAS appeared in several Spanish historical records, including the chronicles of the Franciscan friar Andrés de Guadalupe, who wrote about a nobleman named Juan LUNAS de Castilla, born in 1523. This Juan LUNAS was known for his military exploits during the Spanish conquest of the Americas, serving under the famous conquistador Hernán Cortés.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the LUNAS surname also spread across the territories conquered by Spain. One notable figure was María LUNAS, a wealthy landowner in the colonial city of Havana, Cuba, in the late 17th century. She was renowned for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the local Catholic church.
In the 18th century, a branch of the LUNAS family settled in the region of Andalusia, Spain, where they established themselves as prominent olive oil producers. One member of this family, Francisco LUNAS y Mendoza (1744-1812), was a renowned artist whose works can still be found in various Spanish museums and churches.
Another prominent LUNAS was José LUNAS y Garza (1812-1885), a Mexican military officer and politician who played a significant role in the Reform War and the French Intervention in Mexico. He served as Governor of the state of Nuevo León and was a staunch supporter of liberal causes.
Throughout its history, the surname LUNAS has been associated with various professions and social classes, from noblemen and landowners to artists and military leaders. While its origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by Spanish explorers, settlers, and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lunas
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lunas 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 Lunas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino57.9% · 70
- White26.4% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.0% · 17
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lunas
Lunas 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
-31 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 23,983 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-22 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,918 | 174 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | -31 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 23,983 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 20,408 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 Lunas 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 | #120,901 | #141,309 | -16.9% |
| Count | 143 | 121 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lunas bearers went from 143 to 121 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 20,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #141,309.
FAQ
Lunas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lunas?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Lunas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Lunas?
Lunas ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Lunas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Lunas.
Has Lunas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lunas went from 143 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Lunas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.0%). 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 Lunas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.9% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lunas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (57.9%), White (26.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.0%). 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 Lunas (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 Lunas mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish word "luna," meaning moon or crescent-shaped. 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 Lunas (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 people have the last name Lunas?
You can see how common the surname Lunas is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.