2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lussi
A Swiss surname derived from a nickname for someone with an ornery, grumpy disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Lussi. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lussi 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Lussi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lussi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lussi
The surname Lussi is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the northern regions around the city of Milan. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin word "lucius," which means "light" or "bright." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone with a bright complexion or someone who lived in a particularly sunny area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lussi can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni region of southern Italy. In this manuscript, dated to the 11th century, there is a reference to a man named Petrus Lussi, who was likely a landowner or nobleman in the area.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of Italy, and variations such as Lusso, Lussio, and Luzzi began to appear in various records and documents. For example, in the Chronica Fratris Salimbene de Adam, a medieval chronicle written between 1212 and 1288, there is mention of a man named Ugolino Lussi, who was a prominent figure in the city of Pisa during that time.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Lussi outside of Italy comes from the Swiss town of Lugano, where a family by the name of Lussi can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed that this branch of the Lussi family may have originated from northern Italy and settled in the Swiss Alps region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who carried the surname Lussi. In the 16th century, there was a painter named Giovanni Battista Lussi (1523-1587), who was born in Milan and is known for his religious works and frescoes adorning various churches in the region.
Another prominent figure was Antonio Lussi (1638-1698), an Italian architect and engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings in Bologna, including the Palazzo Davia Bargellini and the Church of San Giacomo Maggiore.
In the 19th century, there was a Swiss politician named Giuseppe Lussi (1788-1856), who served as a member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Ticino and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contribution of the Italian playwright and poet, Vittorio Lussi (1910-1991), who was born in Trieste and is best known for his plays that explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class.
While the surname Lussi may have originated in a specific region of Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark in diverse fields ranging from art and architecture to politics and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lussi
Among Census respondents with the surname Lussi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lussi 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 Lussi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lussi
Lussi 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+15 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,878 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 4,878 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,925 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 Lussi 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 | #133,863 | #142,788 | -6.7% |
| Count | 126 | 119 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lussi bearers went from 126 to 119 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,788.
FAQ
Lussi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lussi?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Lussi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Lussi?
Lussi ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Lussi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Lussi.
Has Lussi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lussi went from 126 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Lussi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lussi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Lussi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lussi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Black (3.4%). 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 Lussi (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 Lussi mean?
A Swiss surname derived from a nickname for someone with an ornery, grumpy disposition. 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 Lussi (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 share the surname Lussi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.