boy's name
Luka
LOO-kah
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 50,996
the United States
#85
2025 births
Luka is a boy's name of Latin origin, the Slavic and Balkan form of Luke. Like every form of the name it most likely means "man from Lucania," a region of southern Italy, rather than anything to do with light.
- Luka is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 3,898 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 851 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1975.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Luka over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 18 |
| 1980s | 62 |
| 1990s | 224 |
| 2000s | 2,148 |
| 2010s | 6,823 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 20,247 |
What Luka means
Luka denotes a person from Lucania, making it a place-based name. The frequently quoted meaning "bringer of light" comes from the resemblance to the Latin lux and is not the accepted derivation.
Where Luka comes from
Luka is the standard form of Luke across Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Georgian and Russian usage, from the Latin Lucas and the Greek Loukas, understood as a shortened Loukanos — a man of Lucania in southern Italy. The name spread through Orthodox and Catholic Europe alike with Luke the Evangelist. In the Balkans it has been continuously popular for centuries and is currently among the most common boys' names in Croatia and Serbia. English-speaking countries adopted it recently alongside Luca, the Italian form, and both now run beside the native Luke.
How popular is Luka?
In 2025, Luka was given to 3,898 babies in the United States, ranking #85 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Luka is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Luka is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Lùka | Lùka is a rare spelling of Luka, written with a grave accent and recorded about 95 times, mostly in France. | 95 |
| Lüka | Lüka is a rare spelling of Luka, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 50 times, mostly in France. | 50 |
Names that peaked alongside Luka
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Luka also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Luka over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Luka in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Luka
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Luka — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Luka
What does the name Luka mean?
Luka most likely means "man from Lucania," a region of southern Italy.
Does Luka mean light?
That reading comes from the resemblance to the Latin lux, but the place-name derivation is the accepted one.
What is the difference between Luka and Luca?
Luka is the Slavic and Balkan form; Luca is Italian. Both correspond to Luke.
How popular is the name Luka?
In 2025, Luka was given to 3,898 babies in the United States, ranking #85 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Luka a girl's or a boy's name?
Luka is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Luka?
Luka has 2 syllables.
When was Luka most popular?
Luka peaked in 2025, when 3,898 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Luka a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Luka currently ranks #72 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.