2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lurks
An English surname derived from the verb "lurk", possibly referring to someone who lived in a secluded or hidden place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Lurks. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lurks 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Lurks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lurks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and White (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lurks
The surname LURKS has its origins in the Germanic regions of central Europe, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "lurken," which referred to the act of lurking or lying in wait, possibly suggesting an ancestral occupation or characteristic associated with the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LURKS surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region now known as Bavaria, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Lurkis" and "Lurkes," reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.
During the 13th century, the LURKS name was documented in the Reichsmatrikel, an imperial registry of noble families in the Holy Roman Empire. This suggests that by this period, the LURKS had established themselves as a prominent lineage within the Germanic nobility.
Historically, the LURKS name has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 15th century, Johannes Lurks, a renowned scholar and theologian from Nuremberg, made significant contributions to the field of religious studies. His treatises on the interpretation of biblical texts were widely circulated across Europe.
Another notable figure bearing the LURKS surname was Wilhelm Lurks, a 16th-century military commander who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His exploits in the Italian Wars against the French and his role in the Siege of Vienna in 1529 earned him considerable recognition.
In the realm of literature, the LURKS name is closely tied to the 17th-century poet and playwright, Anna Maria Lurks. Born in Frankfurt in 1610, her poetic works were highly acclaimed during the German Renaissance and inspired a generation of writers.
The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Friedrich Lurks, a prominent architect and urban planner from Mainz. His designs for public buildings and urban spaces greatly influenced the architectural landscape of several German cities during the Enlightenment era.
Lastly, in the 19th century, the LURKS name gained international recognition through the contributions of Carl Friedrich Lurks, a renowned explorer and cartographer. His expeditions to remote regions of Africa and Asia resulted in the mapping of previously uncharted territories, expanding the geographical knowledge of the time.
While the LURKS surname has its roots in the Germanic regions, it has since spread across various parts of Europe and beyond, with descendants of these historical figures continuing to carry the name to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lurks
Among Census respondents with the surname Lurks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and White (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lurks 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 Lurks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.0% · 92
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- White6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lurks
Lurks 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+34 bearers (+34.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 22,942 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +34 bearers (+34.0%) | Up 22,942 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 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 Lurks 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 | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lurks bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Lurks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lurks?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Lurks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Lurks?
Lurks ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Lurks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Lurks.
Has Lurks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lurks went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Lurks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lurks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and White (6.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lurks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lurks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (80.0%), Two or More Races (7.0%), White (6.1%). 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 Lurks (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 Lurks mean?
An English surname derived from the verb "lurk", possibly referring to someone who lived in a secluded or hidden place. 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 Lurks (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 Lurks?
See how many Americans have the surname Lurks on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.