How common is the surname Lu?

35,628 people in the United States had the surname Lu in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,666 Americans. It ranked 978th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Lu?

Ed Lu, American physicist and astronaut, followed by Eric Lu.

Where is the surname Lu most common?

Wikidata records people named Lu in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Xin dynasty.

Is the surname Lu getting more or less common?

More common. 22,977 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,628 in 2010, up 55%.

Is Lu also a first name?

Yes. Lu is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Lu

A Chinese surname, carried by 35,628 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈlu/ 1 syllable Soundex L000 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Lu is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

Clipping of Lucy, Lucille, and similar names.

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 35,628 people named Lu in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,666 Americans. That is up 55% since 2000, when the Census counted 22,977.

#978

rank among US surnames

35,628

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+55.1%

change since 2000 (was #1,424)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#969	Leal	35,958	8,586
#970	Cherry	35,877	8,606
#971	Compton	35,830	8,617
#972	Dudley	35,781	8,629
#973	Sierra	35,770	8,631
#974	Pollard	35,749	8,636
#975	Alfaro	35,725	8,642

Who is named Lu

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

96% of people named Lu identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% as white (not Hispanic) and 1.4% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 96%
White (not Hispanic) 1.8%
Two or more races 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.0%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Lus

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ed Lu
American physicist and astronaut, born 1963
Eric Lu
American pianist (born 1997)
Sui Lu
Artistic Gymnast, born 1992
Mother Lü
1st century AD Chinese rebel leader against the Xin dynasty, -1–18
Jessica Lu
American actress, born 1985
Donald Lu
American diplomat, born 1966
Lu Sheng-yen
American Buddhist writer, born 1945
Wisp
American shoegaze musician (born 2004)
Lo Sin Yan Happy
Badminton player from Hong Kong, born 2003

Notable Lus come mostly from the United States (6), the People's Republic of China (2) and Xin dynasty (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Loo
Lou
Louh

Surnames that sound like Lu

Lu has the Soundex code L000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L000.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Lu come from?: Clipping of Lucy, Lucille, and similar names.
How common is the surname Lu?: 35,628 people in the United States had the surname Lu in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,666 Americans. It ranked 978th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Lu?: In the 2010 Census, 96% of people named Lu identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 1.8% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Lu?: Ed Lu, American physicist and astronaut, followed by Eric Lu.
Where is the surname Lu most common?: Wikidata records people named Lu in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Xin dynasty.
How do you pronounce Lu?: Lu is /ˈlu/, one syllable.
Is the surname Lu getting more or less common?: More common. 22,977 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,628 in 2010, up 55%.
What are other spellings of Lu?: Loo, Lou and Louh.
Is Lu also a first name?: Yes. Lu is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.