Show ContentsLuis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Luis has its origins in Spain. However, it appears to have been derived from the Germanic Lodowicus, which is composed of the elements "hlod," meaning "fame" and "wig," meaning "war."

Early Origins of the Luis family

The surname Luis was first found in Aragon, in the northeastern region of the Iberian peninsula. Luis was the surname of a very noble family, proceeding from Aragon, but originating from France. One of the earliest references to this name is a record of Bartolome Luis, who entered the Infantry of the Royal Army in the year 1867.

Early History of the Luis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Luis research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Luis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Luis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Luisi, Luis and others.

Early Notables of the Luis family

Prominent among bearers of the family name in this era was

  • the Luis family of Aragon nobility

Luis Ranking

In the United States, the name Luis is the 4,721st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Luis is ranked the 4,247th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. [2]


United States Luis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Luis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Carlos Luis, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 [3]
  • Juan Bautista Luis, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 [3]
  • Pedro Luis, aged 46, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1818 [3]
  • Joseph Luis, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 [3]
  • Luis Luis, aged 35, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1835 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Luis (post 1700) +

  • Juan Francisco Luis (1940-2011), American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Virgin Islands, 1975-78; Governor of U.S. Virgin Islands, 1978-86 [4]
  • Rasheya Jasmin Luis (b. 1973), Filipino sport shooter at the 2000 Summer Olympics
  • Antonio Luis, doctor and teacher of medicine and philosophy and Inspector of military hospitals, he invented curved scissors and a flat knife which was used in surgery
  • Jorge Luis Pupo (b. 1982), Cuban diver who specialized in individual and synchronized springboard events
  • José Luis Abellán (1933-2023), Spanish philosopher
  • José Luis Álvarez y Álvarez (1930-2023), Spanish politician, Mayor of Madrid from 3 March 1978 to 5 January 1979
  • Jose Luis Rivera (1960-2022), ring name of Marcelino Rivera Alicea, a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, Conquistador #1 or Conquistador Uno
  • José Luis Pacheco Gómez (1947-2022), Spanish footballer who played 85 matches as a goalkeeper (1967-1981)
  • Jorge Luis Lona (1935-2022), Argentine Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop Emeritus of San Luis (2001-2011)
  • Jose Luis Violeta Lajusticia (1941-2022), Spaniard association football player, midfielder for Real Zaragoza


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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