boy's name
Lukas
LOO-kas
- Origin German
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 67,007
the United States
#288
2025 births
Lukas does not mean light, despite what most sources say — it means a man from Lucania, a region of southern Italy. The light reading comes from confusing it with the Latin lux, which is a different word entirely.
- Lukas is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 2019, when 1,787 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,856 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1963.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lukas over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 46 |
| 1970s | 446 |
| 1980s | 1,900 |
| 1990s | 5,305 |
| 2000s | 11,629 |
| 2010s | 15,956 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,790 |
What Lukas means
Lukas means a man from Lucania, a region in southern Italy. It is a regional byname recording where someone came from, and carries nothing about their character.
Where Lukas comes from
Lukas is the German and Scandinavian form of Luke, from the Greek Loukas, a shortening of Loukanos — of Lucania, the region forming the instep of Italy. The widespread gloss of light comes from the Latin lux and lucere, which look similar and are unrelated. Luke the evangelist wrote the third gospel and Acts, and is the only New Testament writer generally taken to be a gentile, which fits an Italian regional name.
Lukas in use
Lukas peaked in the United States in 2019, when 1,787 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in all seven markets we track and unusually evenly — 224th in Canada, 274th in Northern Ireland on 7 births, 284th in Ireland on 16, 288th in the United States on 1,161, 323rd in England and Wales on 138, 475th in Scotland on 7 and 830th in France on 50 — across 67,007 lifetime births. France ran its own peak of 1,060 in 2004.
How popular is Lukas?
In 2025, Lukas was given to 1,161 babies in the United States, ranking #288 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lukas 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 Lukas is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Lùkas | Lùkas is a rare spelling of Lukas, written with a grave accent and recorded about 30 times, mostly in France. | 30 |
| Lükas | Lükas is a rare spelling of Lukas, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Lukas
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lukas also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lukas over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Lukas 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 Lukas
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lukas — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lukas
What does the name Lukas mean?
A man from Lucania, a region of southern Italy.
Does Lukas mean light?
No. That comes from confusing it with the Latin lux, an unrelated word.
Who was Luke the evangelist?
The author of the third gospel and Acts, and generally taken to be a gentile.
Where is Lukas used?
All six markets we track, and unusually evenly across them.
How popular is the name Lukas?
In 2025, Lukas was given to 1,161 babies in the United States, ranking #288 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Lukas a girl's or a boy's name?
Lukas is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lukas?
Lukas has 2 syllables.
When was Lukas most popular?
Lukas peaked in 2019, when 1,787 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Lukas a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lukas currently ranks #224 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.