FastNamesLuke
Greek and Latin name meaning "Derived from Ancient Greek Loukas (Λουκᾶς), meaning 'man from Lucania' (an ancient region of southern Italy).". Ranked 33rd for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Luke
Derived from Ancient Greek Loukas (Λουκᾶς), meaning 'man from Lucania' (an ancient region of southern Italy).
Linguistically, Luke is classified under Greek and Latin naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "LOOK".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Luke has been given to a total of 323,020 boys. It has also been given to 565 girls.
Peak year: Luke reached its highest relative share among boys in 2014, when 10,523 babies received the name (5,478 per million births).
All-time best rank: 28th place, first achieved in 2014.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 33rd with 6,948 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 28th (down 5 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Luke in the 2010s than in any other decade (93,274 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 442 |
| 1890s | 402 |
| 1900s | 498 |
| 1910s | 1,343 |
| 1920s | 1,699 |
| 1930s | 1,269 |
| 1940s | 1,298 |
| 1950s | 2,308 |
| 1960s | 4,071 |
| 1970s | 10,283 |
| 1980s | 27,044 |
| 1990s | 44,434 |
| 2000s | 90,506 |
| 2010s | 93,274 |
| 2020s | 44,149 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Luke is most common in the US
Accounting for when Luke was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- North Dakota: 1.6 times the national rate (1,187 births since 1910).
- Montana: 1.6 times the national rate (1,237 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.5 times the national rate (578 births since 1910).
- Alaska: 1.5 times the national rate (948 births since 1910).
- Delaware: 1.5 times the national rate (1,040 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Luke?
About 309,000 living American boys and men share the name Luke. Additionally, an estimated 550 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Luke is 19 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Luke
Luke is the English vernacular form of the Greek personal name Loukas, a contracted diminutive of the Latin regional name Lucanus, designating an inhabitant or native of Lucania—an ancient district in southern Italy between Campania and Calabria, believed to derive from Greek leukos ('bright', 'light') or Latin lucus ('sacred grove').
The name owes its enduring international prominence to Saint Luke the Evangelist, the companion of Saint Paul and traditionally revered author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Honored as a physician and patron saint of artists, Saint Luke's feast day and biblical narrative made the name a favorite throughout medieval Europe following the Norman Conquest and Crusades.
In United States demographic records, Luke was an uncommon choice for much of the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries before beginning an extraordinary modern ascent in the 1970s. Boosted both by traditional biblical affection and broader cultural phenomena, Luke entered the national top fifty in 2001 and climbed into the top thirty in 2011, welcoming more than 10,000 baby boys annually.
Notable people named Luke
- Luke Bryan (1976–), American country music singer-songwriter
- Luke Combs (1990–), American country music singer-songwriter
- Luke Evans (1979–), Welsh actor and singer known for Beauty and the Beast
- Luke Wilson (1971–), American actor
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 175.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 197.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.