2000
#2,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.50
Uncommon Last name
Lusk
An English locational surname derived from a place of the same name, likely referring to a marsh or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,175 Americans carry the last name Lusk. That puts it at #2,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lusk 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 Lusk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,180
Census rank
#2,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,361 bearers of the surname Lusk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lusk, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lusk
The surname Lusk has its origins in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic word 'losc', which means a place of burning or a burnt area. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location where a forest or woodland had been burnt or cleared by fire.
The name is believed to have first appeared in the 12th century in County Mayo, located in the west of Ireland. It is thought that the name may have been adopted by those who lived in or near an area that had been cleared by fire for agricultural or settlement purposes.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Lusk can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1181, there is mention of a chieftain named Maghnus O'Loisc (Lusk) who was involved in a battle against the English.
The name Lusk has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Lusk, a village located in County Dublin. This village is believed to have derived its name from the surname, suggesting that it may have been a settlement established by those bearing the Lusk name.
Notable individuals throughout history with the surname Lusk include:
1. Sir Andrew Lusk (1688-1763), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for County Mayo in the Irish House of Commons.
2. John Lusk (1802-1878), an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who was involved in the Old School-New School Controversy within the Presbyterian Church in the United States.
3. Mary Lusk (1854-1936), an American educator and activist who founded the Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs and was instrumental in the fight for women's suffrage.
4. Hugh Hamill Lusk (1872-1953), an American obstetrician and gynecologist who made significant contributions to the field of maternal and child health.
5. Rufus S. Lusk (1892-1963), an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of Texas from 1939 to 1949.
While the surname Lusk has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by those of Irish descent who immigrated to these countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lusk
Among Census respondents with the surname Lusk, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lusk 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 Lusk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 10,221
- Black or African American9.1% · 1,122
- Two or more races4.2% · 522
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 364
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lusk
Lusk 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
#2,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,847
+702 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.36
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#2,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,361
-486 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.14
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,726 | 12,145 | 4.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,803 | 12,847 | 4.36 | +702 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #2,837 | 12,361 | 4.14 | -486 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 34 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 Lusk 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 | #2,803 | #2,837 | -1.2% |
| Count | 12,847 | 12,361 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.36 | 4.14 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lusk bearers went from 12,847 to 12,361 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,803 to #2,837.
FAQ
Lusk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lusk?
Name Census estimates that about 14,175 living Americans carry the surname Lusk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,180 residents.
How common is Lusk?
Lusk ranks #2,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,361 people with the surname Lusk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Lusk.
Has Lusk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lusk went from 12,847 recorded bearers to 12,361. That is a decrease of 486 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,803 to #2,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Lusk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lusk, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lusk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (10,221 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lusk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (9.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Lusk (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 Lusk mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place of the same name, likely referring to a marsh or bog. 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 Lusk (4.14 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 Lusk?
You can see how many people have the last name Lusk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.