2000
#6,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Uncommon Last name
Luo
A Chinese surname with various origins, including referring to the Luo River or meaning "net" or "collect."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,593 Americans carry the last name Luo. That puts it at #2,191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luo 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 Luo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,435
Census rank
#2,191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,214 bearers of the surname Luo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luo
The surname Luo is of Chinese origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient kingdom of Lu, which was located in the eastern part of modern-day Shandong Province during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC). The name is derived from the state of Lu, one of the most influential and powerful states during that era.
The earliest recorded instances of the Luo surname can be found in historical records from the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), where it was used by members of the nobility and ruling class associated with the state of Lu. One notable example is Confucius, the renowned philosopher and teacher, whose original surname was Luo before it was changed to Kong.
During the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), the Luo surname gained prominence and spread across various regions of China. In the centuries that followed, several notable individuals bore this surname, including Luo Guanzhong (c. 1330-1400), the author of the classic novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," and Luo Qing (1442-1527), a prominent Ming Dynasty scholar and calligrapher.
The Luo surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Chinese history. For instance, the city of Luoyang, one of the four great ancient capitals of China, derives its name from the state of Luo, indicating the historical significance of this surname.
Other notable individuals with the Luo surname include Luo Longji (c. 1633-1692), a renowned Qing Dynasty painter and calligrapher; Luo Binwang (1786-1854), a prominent scholar and philosopher during the Qing Dynasty; and Luo Niansheng (1852-1924), a pioneering Chinese educator and reformer.
Throughout history, the Luo surname has been widely dispersed across various regions of China, with significant populations found in Shandong, Henan, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces, among others. Despite its widespread distribution, the name retains a strong connection to its ancient roots in the state of Lu and the cultural heritage of the Spring and Autumn period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luo
Among Census respondents with the surname Luo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Luo 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 Luo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.1% · 15,587
- White2.3% · 372
- Two or more races0.6% · 104
- Black or African American0.5% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luo
Luo 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
#3,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,005
+5,015 bearers (+100.5%)
Per 100,000 3.39
Rank movement Up 2,727 places
2020
#2,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,214
+6,209 bearers (+62.1%)
Per 100,000 5.42
Rank movement Up 1,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,291 | 4,990 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,564 | 10,005 | 3.39 | +5,015 bearers (+100.5%) | Up 2,727 places |
| 2020 | #2,191 | 16,214 | 5.42 | +6,209 bearers (+62.1%) | Up 1,373 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 Luo 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 | #3,564 | #2,191 | 38.5% |
| Count | 10,005 | 16,214 | 62.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.39 | 5.42 | 60.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luo bearers went from 10,005 to 16,214 (+62.1% change). The surname moved up 1,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,564 to #2,191.
FAQ
Luo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luo?
Name Census estimates that about 18,593 living Americans carry the surname Luo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,435 residents.
How common is Luo?
Luo ranks #2,191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,214 people with the surname Luo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Luo.
Has Luo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luo went from 10,005 recorded bearers to 16,214. That is an increase of 6,209 (+62.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,564 to #2,191.
What does the Census say about the background of Luo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Luo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (15,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.1%), White (2.3%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Luo (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 Luo mean?
A Chinese surname with various origins, including referring to the Luo River or meaning "net" or "collect." 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 Luo (5.42 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 Luo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.