Lucero
A Spanish name meaning "morning star" or "bright star".
Name Census estimates that about 7,626 living Americans carry the first name Lucero. It is a predominantly female name (97.3% of registrations). The average person named Lucero today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lucero births was 1994 (350 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lucero. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Lucero is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 212 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
7.6K
~ 1 in 44,945 Americans
Peak year
1994
350 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2023 SSA rank
#1,664
Tracked since 1961
Census
Lucero in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 9,788 people with the first name Lucero, which placed it at #2,499 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,499
National first-name rank
People counted
9.8K
9,788 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
98.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lucero
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lucero is Hispanic at 98.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Black (0.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lucero 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lucero at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino98.0% · 9,591
- White1.3% · 129
- Black or African American0.2% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 18
- Two or more races0.1% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Lucero
Lucero leans heavily female at 97.3% of total registrations, but 212 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lucero as a male name
- Ranked #7,554 in 2023
- 11 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1991 (21 births)
Lucero as a female name
- Ranked #1,664 in 2024
- 123 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1994 (334 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lucero leans strongly female. 9,631 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 157 male bearers (1.6%).
Popularity
Lucero: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lucero from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 2,759 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lucero by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lucero during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Luceros live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Lucero, while Wisconsin, Utah, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 251 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lucero
The name Lucero is derived from the Spanish word for "morning star" or "light-bearer." Its origins can be traced back to the Latin word "lucifer," which means "light-bringing" or "light-bearer." The name is believed to have been popularized in medieval Spain, where it was often used to refer to the planet Venus, which is the brightest celestial object in the night sky after the moon.
In ancient Roman mythology, Lucifer was the name given to the planet Venus when it appeared as the morning star, heralding the arrival of dawn. This association with light and the morning star made the name popular among Christians, who often used it to symbolize Christ as the "light of the world."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Lucero can be found in the Spanish epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which was written in the 12th century. In the poem, Lucero is the name of a horse belonging to the hero, El Cid.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Lucero. One of the most famous was Lucero de Godoi (1310-1351), a Spanish noblewoman who was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Maria of Portugal. She was renowned for her beauty and intelligence and is said to have been the inspiration for several works of literature and art.
Another notable Lucero was Lucero de Tena (1505-1577), a Spanish mystic and nun who was known for her visions and prophetic writings. She is venerated as a saint in some parts of Spain.
In the 16th century, there was a Spanish military commander named Lucero de Nájera (1520-1591) who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Americas. He is credited with founding several cities in what is now Mexico and is remembered for his bravery and leadership.
In more recent times, Lucero has been a popular name among Hispanic communities in the United States and Latin America. One of the most famous modern Luceros was Lucero Hogaza (1936-2005), a Mexican actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.
Overall, the name Lucero has a rich history and cultural significance, reflecting its association with light, celestial bodies, and the morning star. Despite its ancient origins, it remains a popular and enduring name, particularly in Spanish-speaking communities around the world.
People
Lucero + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lucero as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lucero: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lucero?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,626 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lucero going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 44,945 US residents.
Is Lucero a common name?
We classify Lucero as "Rare". It ranks above 97.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,799 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lucero most popular?
The single biggest year for Lucero was 1994, when 350 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lucero is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lucero in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 9,788 people with the name Lucero, or 3.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,499 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lucero in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lucero?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lucero leans strongly female. 9,631 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 157 male bearers (1.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lucero?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lucero is Hispanic at 98.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Black (0.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lucero most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Lucero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (9,591 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lucero in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lucero a female name?
Yes, 97.3% of people registered as Lucero in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lucero still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lucero in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lucero can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Lucero?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.