2000
#5,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Lux
A surname derived from the Latin word "lux," meaning "light," likely referring to a person who brought light or insight.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,852 Americans carry the last name Lux. That puts it at #5,614 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lux 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 Lux with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 50,023
Census rank
#5,614
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,975 bearers of the surname Lux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5614th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lux, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lux
The surname Lux originates from the Latin word "lux" meaning "light" or "brightness." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in various regions of Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas where Latin was widely used or influenced by Roman culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lux can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Holy Roman Empire, dating back to the 12th century. In these records, the name appears as "Lux" and is associated with individuals residing in various parts of present-day Germany.
During the 13th century, the surname Lux was prevalent in the region of Alsace, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. The Alsatian town of Lux, now known as Lützelstein, likely contributed to the surname's regional popularity. Additionally, the name was found in other parts of modern-day France and Switzerland.
In the 14th century, the surname Lux appeared in various forms in historical records across Europe. For instance, the variant "Lutz" was commonly used in parts of Germany, while "Luz" was more prevalent in Spain and Portugal, likely influenced by the Moorish occupation and the Arabic word "luz" meaning "light."
Notable individuals with the surname Lux throughout history include:
1. Johann Lux (c. 1490-1557), a German humanist scholar and educator from Nuremberg.
2. Dorothea Lux (1556-1628), a German composer and poet from Nuremberg.
3. Benedictus Lux (1617-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and genre paintings.
4. Franz Lux (1880-1939), an Austrian architect and designer, best known for his Art Nouveau and Jugendstil buildings in Vienna.
5. Anita Lux (1914-1970), a German film actress who appeared in over 60 movies during the 1930s and 1940s.
The surname Lux has also been associated with various place names across Europe, such as Lüxheim in Alsace, France, and Lüxemborg (present-day Luxembourg), which may have influenced the surname's regional variations and spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lux
Among Census respondents with the surname Lux, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lux 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 Lux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 4,724
- Hispanic or Latino15.7% · 941
- Two or more races2.8% · 166
- Black or African American1.2% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lux
Lux 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
#5,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,796
+288 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#5,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,975
+179 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Up 326 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,756 | 5,508 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,940 | 5,796 | 1.96 | +288 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #5,614 | 5,975 | 2.00 | +179 bearers (+3.1%) | Up 326 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 Lux 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 | #5,940 | #5,614 | 5.5% |
| Count | 5,796 | 5,975 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 2.00 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lux bearers went from 5,796 to 5,975 (+3.1% change). The surname moved up 326 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,940 to #5,614.
FAQ
Lux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lux?
Name Census estimates that about 6,852 living Americans carry the surname Lux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,023 residents.
How common is Lux?
Lux ranks #5,614 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,975 people with the surname Lux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lux.
Has Lux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lux went from 5,796 recorded bearers to 5,975. That is an increase of 179 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,940 to #5,614.
What does the Census say about the background of Lux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lux, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (4,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Hispanic (15.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lux (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 Lux mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "lux," meaning "light," likely referring to a person who brought light or insight. 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 Lux (2.00 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 Lux?
Want to know how many people have the surname Lux? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.