The Loving surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,135 people carried this name — #4,933 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 41,300 people counted. That is up 2% from 6,987 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Loving surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Lovaine’.

An early record he cites: Muriel de Lovayn, Suffolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 497 · public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

139 people named Loving is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 139

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In the first U.S. census, 1790

17 families named Loving, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 122 people lived in those households, 7.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 9
Virginia 5
Massachusetts 1
New York 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 250 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Loving in American newspapers,
1907.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Loving
Daily Kennebec Journal 1907-06-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Loving in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

13,465 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Loving. The most, 2,701, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 5,957
New South Wales 2,926
South Australia 1,589
Western Australia 1,162
Queensland 1,149
Tasmania 595
ACT (Canberra) 61
Northern Territory 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Loving.

Who carried it

People named Loving,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Walter Loving
    Walter Loving 1872–1945 · musician
  • Henry Loving 1790–1850
  • Oliver Loving 1812–1867 · rancher
  • Starling Loving 1828–1911 · physician
  • Frank Loving 1860–1882
  • Henry Croxton Loving 1877–1950

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Loving,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States420 records

420 records of the Loving name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 251
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 98
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 37
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 15
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 14
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Martin Edwin Loving

    Born 1938; from Aurora, Colorado. U.S. Army, image interpretation technician; died in an accident 1971 in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Percy Loving

    Born 1915 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; bartender. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Cabet William Loving

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Aurania from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 66; lawyer. From London; bound for Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 420 records for Loving in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Loving name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendrik Willem Gerard Loving

    Born 1828 in Voorst. Married in 1856 in Gendringen; clog maker. Died 1868 in Etten, aged 39.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Stanlislas Loving

    In the population register of Zundert; born 1878.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Derk Jan Loving

    Born 1813 in Silvolde.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Loving in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia6 records

6 records of the Loving name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 3
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Loving

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Merkara, aged 28.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John David Loving

    Manager of Balaclava, Victoria; died 1990.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Loving

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Merkara, aged 28.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Loving in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Loving name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Martha E. Loving

    Died 1935 in Maccan, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Leslie Rowland Bond Loving

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Katherine Thatcher Loving

    Married 1913 in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Loving name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. Loving

    Leicestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Loving.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Loving is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Loving volume
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