Find out how popular the last name Luther is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Luther.

Luther, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Luther surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luther in America

Luther is the 2589th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luther surname appeared 13,906 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Luther.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luther to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Luther

The surname LUTHER originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic root "liut," meaning "people" or "nation," and likely referred to someone who was well-known or respected among their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LUTHER can be found in the German town of Eisleben, where Martin Luther, the famous Protestant reformer, was born in 1483. Luther's theological writings and actions sparked the Protestant Reformation, a pivotal event in European history that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church.

The LUTHER surname can also be traced back to the Low German word "lüdde," meaning "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for a person of short stature or someone considered insignificant within their community.

In England, the LUTHER surname is believed to have originated as a variant of the more common surname "Luthier," which referred to a maker of stringed musical instruments, particularly lutes. This connection to the craft of luthiery may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the LUTHER name in certain regions.

Notable historical figures with the surname LUTHER include:

1. Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German monk and theologian who initiated the Protestant Reformation.
2. John Luther (1510-1595), a German mathematician and astronomer.
3. Seth Luther (1795-1863), an American minister and educator who served as the president of Erie College.
4. Robert Luther (1868-1940), a German chemist and Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 1908.
5. Hans Luther (1879-1962), a German politician and Chancellor of Germany from 1925 to 1926.

The LUTHER surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Lutherville, a community in Maryland, and Luther, a town in Oklahoma, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the LUTHER surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luther

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Luther.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Luther was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Luther has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Luther was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Luther, please contact us.

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