2000
#3,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.68
Uncommon Last name
Loya
A Spanish surname derived from the word "loya," meaning a type of sickle or a loyal person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,774 Americans carry the last name Loya. That puts it at #2,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,884 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loya 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
14K
1 in 24,884
Census rank
#2,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,012 bearers of the surname Loya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loya
The surname LOYA has its origins in Spain, and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "loya," which means "a small clay or mud deposit." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with clay or mud, such as a potter or brickmaker.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname LOYA can be found in historical documents from the regions of Aragon and Castile in Spain. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Juan de Loya, a nobleman who lived in the city of Zaragoza in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name LOYA appeared in various Spanish manuscripts and records, including the archives of the Inquisition. One notable individual from this period was Hernando de Loya, a Franciscan friar who served as a missionary in the Americas during the Spanish colonization.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname LOYA spread to other parts of the world, including Latin America and the Philippines. In Mexico, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Francisco de Loya, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname LOYA. One of the most prominent was José María Loya, a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Nuevo León in the mid-19th century. Another notable figure was Manuel Loya, a Cuban artist and painter who was known for his vibrant depictions of Cuban life in the early 20th century.
In more recent times, the surname LOYA has been associated with various individuals in different fields. For example, José Loya was a Mexican-American artist and sculptor who was active in the Chicano art movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Anita Loya, born in 1941, is a renowned Mexican sculptor and painter known for her abstract works.
While the surname LOYA has its roots in Spain, it has since become widely dispersed across various countries and cultures, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who have carried this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loya
Among Census respondents with the surname Loya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Loya 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 Loya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.6% · 10,404
- White10.3% · 1,236
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 167
- Two or more races0.8% · 97
- Black or African American0.4% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loya
Loya 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
#2,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,232
+2,303 bearers (+23.2%)
Per 100,000 4.15
Rank movement Up 378 places
2020
#2,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,012
-220 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.02
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,309 | 9,929 | 3.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,931 | 12,232 | 4.15 | +2,303 bearers (+23.2%) | Up 378 places |
| 2020 | #2,930 | 12,012 | 4.02 | -220 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 1 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 Loya 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 | #2,931 | #2,930 | 0.0% |
| Count | 12,232 | 12,012 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.15 | 4.02 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loya bearers went from 12,232 to 12,012 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,931 to #2,930.
FAQ
Loya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loya?
Name Census estimates that about 13,774 living Americans carry the surname Loya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,884 residents.
How common is Loya?
Loya ranks #2,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,012 people with the surname Loya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Loya.
Has Loya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loya went from 12,232 recorded bearers to 12,012. That is a decrease of 220 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,931 to #2,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Loya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (10,404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.6%), White (10.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Loya (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 Loya mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "loya," meaning a type of sickle or a loyal person. 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 Loya (4.02 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 Loya?
See how many people have the surname Loya on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.