2000
#2,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.04
Uncommon Last name
Luther
A surname derived from the Germanic name Lothair, meaning "famous warrior" or "famous army."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,938 Americans carry the last name Luther. That puts it at #2,702 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,945 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luther 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 Luther with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,945
Census rank
#2,702
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,027 bearers of the surname Luther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2702nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luther, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luther
The surname LUTHER originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic root "liut," meaning "people" or "nation," and likely referred to someone who was well-known or respected among their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LUTHER can be found in the German town of Eisleben, where Martin Luther, the famous Protestant reformer, was born in 1483. Luther's theological writings and actions sparked the Protestant Reformation, a pivotal event in European history that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church.
The LUTHER surname can also be traced back to the Low German word "lüdde," meaning "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for a person of short stature or someone considered insignificant within their community.
In England, the LUTHER surname is believed to have originated as a variant of the more common surname "Luthier," which referred to a maker of stringed musical instruments, particularly lutes. This connection to the craft of luthiery may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the LUTHER name in certain regions.
Notable historical figures with the surname LUTHER include:
1. Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German monk and theologian who initiated the Protestant Reformation.
2. John Luther (1510-1595), a German mathematician and astronomer.
3. Seth Luther (1795-1863), an American minister and educator who served as the president of Erie College.
4. Robert Luther (1868-1940), a German chemist and Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 1908.
5. Hans Luther (1879-1962), a German politician and Chancellor of Germany from 1925 to 1926.
The LUTHER surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Lutherville, a community in Maryland, and Luther, a town in Oklahoma, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the LUTHER surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luther
Among Census respondents with the surname Luther, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Luther 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 Luther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 11,091
- Two or more races3.6% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 427
- Black or African American3.2% · 416
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 355
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 273
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luther
Luther 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
#2,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,906
+305 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.71
Rank movement Down 151 places
2020
#2,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,027
-879 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.36
Rank movement Down 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,438 | 13,601 | 5.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,589 | 13,906 | 4.71 | +305 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 151 places |
| 2020 | #2,702 | 13,027 | 4.36 | -879 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 113 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 Luther 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 | #2,589 | #2,702 | -4.4% |
| Count | 13,906 | 13,027 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.71 | 4.36 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luther bearers went from 13,906 to 13,027 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,589 to #2,702.
FAQ
Luther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luther?
Name Census estimates that about 14,938 living Americans carry the surname Luther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,945 residents.
How common is Luther?
Luther ranks #2,702 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.36 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 13,027 people with the surname Luther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,938), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.36 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 Luther.
Has Luther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luther went from 13,906 recorded bearers to 13,027. That is a decrease of 879 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,589 to #2,702.
What does the Census say about the background of Luther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luther, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Luther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (11,091 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Luther (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 Luther mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic name Lothair, meaning "famous warrior" or "famous army." 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 Luther (4.36 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 Luther?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.