boy's name
Luke
LOOK
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 440,235
the United States
#33
2025 births
Luke is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "man from Lucania," a region of southern Italy. It belongs to the evangelist traditionally credited with the third gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, who is described in Paul's letters as a physician.
- Luke is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 10,536 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 477 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Luke over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 10,329 |
| 1980s | 27,222 |
| 1990s | 44,527 |
| 2000s | 90,634 |
| 2010s | 93,358 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 44,185 |
What Luke means
Luke denotes a person from Lucania, making it a place-based name rather than a descriptive one. It is frequently linked to the Latin lux, meaning light, but that connection rests on the words sounding similar rather than on shared derivation.
Where Luke comes from
Luke is the English form of the Greek Loukas, understood as a shortened form of Loukanos, a man of Lucania in southern Italy. The Latin form Lucas gave the Romance languages their versions, while English developed Luke separately. Luke the Evangelist is credited with both the third gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, together the largest single contribution to the New Testament by volume, and Colossians refers to him as a physician, which made him the traditional patron of doctors. The persistent belief that Luke means "light" comes from the resemblance to lux; the place-name derivation is the one scholars generally accept.
Luke in use
Luke is credited with more of the New Testament by volume than any other writer.
How popular is Luke?
In 2025, Luke was given to 6,957 babies in the United States, ranking #33 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Luke 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.
Names that peaked alongside Luke
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Luke also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Luke over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Luke 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 Luke
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Luke — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Luke
What does the name Luke mean?
Luke means "man from Lucania," a region of southern Italy.
Does Luke mean light?
This is a common belief based on similarity to the Latin lux, but the place-name derivation is the accepted one.
Who was Luke in the Bible?
The evangelist credited with the third gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, described in Colossians as a physician.
How popular is the name Luke?
In 2025, Luke was given to 6,957 babies in the United States, ranking #33 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Luke a girl's or a boy's name?
Luke is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Luke?
Luke has 1 syllable.
When was Luke most popular?
Luke peaked in 2014, when 10,536 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Luke a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Luke currently ranks #24 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.