2000
#15,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,693
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Luz
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the word for "light" or "bright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,168 Americans carry the last name Luz. That puts it at #15,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luz 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
2.2K
1 in 158,097
Census rank
#15,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,891 bearers of the surname Luz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luz, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (37.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luz
The surname Luz is of Spanish origin and is derived from the Spanish word "luz" meaning "light". It is believed to have originated in the late 14th or early 15th century, although the earliest recorded instances of the name are not known for certain.
One theory suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a source of light, such as a lighthouse or a well-lit area. Another possibility is that it was given to someone who worked with light or candles, such as a candlemaker or a lamplighter.
The name Luz can be traced back to various regions of Spain, particularly in the areas of Andalusia and Castile. It is also found in some Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Argentina, where Spanish influence was significant.
While there are no known historical references to the surname Luz in major medieval manuscripts like the Domesday Book, some early records of the name can be found in Spanish church records and municipal archives from the 15th and 16th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Luz was Juan de Luz, a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Francisco de Luz, a Spanish poet and playwright from the 16th century, known for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
In the 17th century, there was Juan Bautista de Luz, a Spanish painter known for his religious artwork and frescoes in churches throughout Spain. In the 18th century, Pedro de Luz was a prominent Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings in Madrid and other cities.
During the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Luz was Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920), a renowned Spanish novelist and playwright, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the Spanish realist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luz
Among Census respondents with the surname Luz, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (37.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Luz 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 Luz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.5% · 803
- Hispanic or Latino37.0% · 699
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.9% · 263
- Two or more races2.7% · 52
- Black or African American2.0% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luz
Luz 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
#15,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,848
+155 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 25 places
2020
#15,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,891
+43 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,796 | 1,693 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,771 | 1,848 | 0.63 | +155 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 25 places |
| 2020 | #15,001 | 1,891 | 0.63 | +43 bearers (+2.3%) | Up 770 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 Luz 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 | #15,771 | #15,001 | 4.9% |
| Count | 1,848 | 1,891 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.63 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luz bearers went from 1,848 to 1,891 (+2.3% change). The surname moved up 770 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,771 to #15,001.
FAQ
Luz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,168 living Americans carry the surname Luz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,097 residents.
How common is Luz?
Luz ranks #15,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,891 people with the surname Luz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Luz.
Has Luz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luz went from 1,848 recorded bearers to 1,891. That is an increase of 43 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,771 to #15,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Luz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luz, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (37.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%). 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 Luz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.5% (803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.5%), Hispanic (37.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%). 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 Luz (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 Luz mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the word for "light" or "bright." 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 Luz (0.63 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 common is the surname Luz?
See how common the surname Luz is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.