Loíza (Spanish pronunciation: [loˈisa]) is a small town and municipality on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Some say that its name comes from that of a female cacique, called Loaíza or Yuíza, who governed the region formerly called Jaymanío, in the shores of the Río Grande de Loíza. It is said that this cacique might have married a mulatto conquistador called Pedro Mejías, but there is no evidence of this. Other sources point to a Spanish landlord called Iñigo López de Cervantes y Loayza, who owned a lot of the territory, and was renowned among governors and colonists from the time.

It is said that a crown decree from Spain in the 1600s, instructed slaves to be sent to the region of Loíza. Many people believe this might account for the high ratio of black people in Loíza.

In 1692, Loíza was officially declared an urban area due to its population (100 houses and 1,146 residents), but it was in 1719 that the Spanish government declared it as an official town. It was founded by Gaspar de Arredondo. After being demoted, it was again established as a municipality in August 16, 1970.

In the 1970s, an Aero Virgin Islands DC-3 plane crashed in a Loíza beach, with no fatalities.

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