2000
#16,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Luque
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Luque.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,205 Americans carry the last name Luque. That puts it at #10,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luque 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
3.2K
1 in 106,944
Census rank
#10,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,795 bearers of the surname Luque in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luque, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luque
The surname Luque has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "al-luq," which means "the highest point" or "the summit." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on a high point or a hilltop.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Luque can be traced back to the 13th century, during the Reconquista period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula were gradually reclaiming territories from Moorish rule. As the Spanish reconquered areas like Andalusia, many place names and surnames of Arabic origin were adopted and adapted into Spanish.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Luque is found in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a historical record from the 13th century that documented the distribution of land and properties in Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces of King Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248.
In the 15th century, the surname Luque appeared in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a medieval hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentioned several locations and landowners with the surname Luque, indicating their presence in various parts of Andalusia.
Notable historical figures with the surname Luque include:
1. Juan de Luque (c. 1470-1530), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Cuba and later became a settler in Panama.
2. Francisco de Luque (c. 1480-1537), a Spanish priest and explorer who, along with Diego de Almagro and Francisco Pizarro, played a pivotal role in the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in modern-day Peru.
3. Cristóbal de Luque (c. 1500-1570), a Spanish composer and music theorist who lived during the Renaissance period and wrote several treatises on music theory.
4. Hernando de Luque (c. 1510-1580), a Spanish military officer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as the governor of the province of Soconusco.
5. Juan de Luque y Leiva (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish prelate who served as the Bishop of Calahorra y La Calzada in northern Spain during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
These examples illustrate the historical presence of the surname Luque in various contexts, ranging from exploration and conquest to religious and artistic endeavors, primarily within the Spanish territories and colonies of the 15th to 17th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luque
Among Census respondents with the surname Luque, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Luque 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 Luque surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.5% · 2,418
- White11.1% · 311
- Black or African American1.0% · 28
- Two or more races0.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luque
Luque 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
#13,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,296
+747 bearers (+48.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 3,655 places
2020
#10,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,795
+499 bearers (+21.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 2,395 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,938 | 1,549 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,283 | 2,296 | 0.78 | +747 bearers (+48.2%) | Up 3,655 places |
| 2020 | #10,888 | 2,795 | 0.94 | +499 bearers (+21.7%) | Up 2,395 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 Luque 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 | #13,283 | #10,888 | 18.0% |
| Count | 2,296 | 2,795 | 21.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.94 | 19.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luque bearers went from 2,296 to 2,795 (+21.7% change). The surname moved up 2,395 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,283 to #10,888.
FAQ
Luque surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luque?
Name Census estimates that about 3,205 living Americans carry the surname Luque. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,944 residents.
How common is Luque?
Luque ranks #10,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,795 people with the surname Luque. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Luque.
Has Luque become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luque went from 2,296 recorded bearers to 2,795. That is an increase of 499 (+21.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,283 to #10,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Luque?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luque, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Luque in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (2,418 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luque appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.5%), White (11.1%), Black (1.0%). 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 Luque (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 Luque mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Luque. 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 Luque (0.94 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 Luque?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.