2000
#67,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Rare Last name
Lyu
A surname of Chinese origin referring to a person from the Lyu family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,438 Americans carry the last name Lyu. That puts it at #13,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lyu 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
2.4K
1 in 140,588
Census rank
#13,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,126 bearers of the surname Lyu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lyu
The surname LYU has its origins in China, tracing back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "柳" which means "willow tree". This surname was first found in the central and eastern regions of China, particularly in the provinces of Henan, Hubei, and Jiangsu.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LYU surname can be found in the historical text "Jiu Tang Shu" (Old Book of Tang), which mentions a prominent official named LYU Zhi who served during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong in the 8th century AD. Another notable figure was LYU Zuan, a renowned poet and calligrapher from the late Tang Dynasty.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the LYU surname gained further prominence. LYU Yu (1125-1210 AD) was a respected Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the development of Confucian thought. His works, such as "Xin Li Xue" (The Study of Human Nature), had a lasting impact on Chinese philosophy.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), LYU Shidao (1531-1615 AD) was a celebrated landscape painter known for his unique style and mastery of ink wash painting. His works were highly regarded and influenced many subsequent artists.
Moving into the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), LYU Zhi (1766-1839 AD) was a renowned scholar and official who served as a Grand Secretary in the imperial court. He was known for his expertise in classical literature and his contributions to the compilation of historical records.
Another notable figure was LYU Yin (1842-1904 AD), a prominent military leader and reformist during the late Qing Dynasty. He played a crucial role in the Boxer Rebellion and advocated for modernization and westernization of China's military forces.
Throughout history, the LYU surname has been associated with various place names, such as Liuzhou (willow city) in Guangxi Province and Liuyang (willow township) in Hunan Province. These place names reflect the connection between the surname and the willow tree, which has held cultural and symbolic significance in Chinese tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lyu
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lyu 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 Lyu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.7% · 1,929
- White6.5% · 138
- Black or African American1.1% · 23
- Two or more races1.1% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lyu
Lyu 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
#57,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 355
+83 bearers (+30.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 10,353 places
2020
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,126
+1,771 bearers (+498.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 43,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,725 | 272 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,372 | 355 | 0.12 | +83 bearers (+30.5%) | Up 10,353 places |
| 2020 | #13,648 | 2,126 | 0.71 | +1,771 bearers (+498.9%) | Up 43,724 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 Lyu 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 | #57,372 | #13,648 | 76.2% |
| Count | 355 | 2,126 | 498.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.71 | 492.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lyu bearers went from 355 to 2,126 (+498.9% change). The surname moved up 43,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,372 to #13,648.
FAQ
Lyu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lyu?
Name Census estimates that about 2,438 living Americans carry the surname Lyu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,588 residents.
How common is Lyu?
Lyu ranks #13,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,126 people with the surname Lyu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Lyu.
Has Lyu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lyu went from 355 recorded bearers to 2,126. That is an increase of 1,771 (+498.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #57,372 to #13,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Lyu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Black (1.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lyu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lyu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.7%), White (6.5%), Black (1.1%). 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 Lyu (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 Lyu mean?
A surname of Chinese origin referring to a person from the Lyu family. 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 Lyu (0.71 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 Americans have the surname Lyu?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.