2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lutte
A surname potentially derived from the French verb "lutter" meaning "to wrestle" or "to struggle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Lutte. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lutte 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Lutte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lutte, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lutte
The surname Lutte is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "lutta," which means "wrestling" or "fighting." The earliest records of this surname can be traced back to the 16th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria, Hesse, and Saxony.
The Lutte name was likely associated with individuals who were involved in wrestling or other combat-related activities, either as professional wrestlers or soldiers. Some historical records suggest that the name may have been used as a descriptive surname for those who were skilled fighters or had a reputation for being physically strong and adept at wrestling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lutte surname dates back to 1542, when a man named Hans Lutte was mentioned in the parish records of the town of Augsburg, located in Bavaria. Another notable early mention of the name comes from the Hessian town of Marburg, where a certain Friedrich Lutte was recorded as a resident in 1587.
In the 17th century, the Lutte surname began to appear in various records across Germany, including church registers, tax rolls, and municipal documents. For example, a man named Johann Lutte was listed as a landowner in the village of Eltville, near Wiesbaden, in 1612.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lutte surname outside of Germany can be found in the United States. In 1754, a man named Johannes Lutte arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of a group of German immigrants seeking new opportunities in the American colonies.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have carried the Lutte surname. One such person was Johann Friedrich Lutte (1763-1831), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics. Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Lutte (1823-1904), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin and other cities in Prussia.
In the 19th century, the Lutte surname also appeared in France, where it was likely adopted by German immigrants or descendants of German families. One prominent French individual with this surname was Auguste Lutte (1845-1912), a painter and sculptor who was known for his works depicting scenes from rural life in France.
Other notable individuals with the Lutte surname include Heinrich Lutte (1875-1944), a German writer and journalist who was active during the early 20th century, and Ernst Lutte (1907-1988), a German Olympic cyclist who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lutte
Among Census respondents with the surname Lutte, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lutte 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 Lutte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lutte
Lutte 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,468 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,468 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,373 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 Lutte 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 | #159,712 | #152,339 | 4.6% |
| Count | 101 | 106 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lutte bearers went from 101 to 106 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,339.
FAQ
Lutte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lutte?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Lutte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Lutte?
Lutte ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Lutte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Lutte.
Has Lutte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lutte went from 101 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Lutte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lutte, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Lutte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lutte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Lutte (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 Lutte mean?
A surname potentially derived from the French verb "lutter" meaning "to wrestle" or "to struggle". 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 Lutte (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 surname Lutte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.