boy's name
Luther
LOO-ther
- Origin German
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 68,242
Luther means army of the people, and its weight comes from a surname rather than a saint — Martin Luther's family name became a given name across the Protestant world, and then across Black America.
- Luther is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1922, when 1,490 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 27,175 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Luther 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 | 2,619 |
| 1890s | 2,668 |
| 1900s | 2,871 |
| 1910s | 9,828 |
| 1920s | 13,364 |
| 1930s | 8,948 |
| 1940s | 8,193 |
| 1950s | 6,520 |
| 1960s | 4,085 |
| 1970s | 2,615 |
| 1980s | 1,934 |
| 1990s | 1,233 |
| 2000s | 870 |
| 2010s | 958 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 715 |
What Luther means
Luther means army of the people. The Germanic joins a word for a people to one meaning an army, so the compound describes a force drawn from a whole population.
Where Luther comes from
Luther is the German Luder or Lothar, from the Germanic liut, people, joined to heri, an army. It became a given name because of Martin Luther, whose 1517 theses split Western Christianity, and it spread wherever Protestantism did. Martin Luther King's father changed both their names from Michael to Martin Luther after visiting Germany in 1934, which is how a sixteenth-century German surname became one of the most recognized American names.
Luther in use
Luther peaked in the United States in 1922, when 1,490 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It charts in three of the seven markets we track — 1463rd in the United States on 122 births, 2226th in England and Wales on 11 and 3617th in Canada — across 68,242 lifetime births. It is one of five reviving names in this group.
How popular is Luther?
In 2025, Luther was given to 122 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Luther 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 Luther
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Luther also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Luther over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Luther 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.
- German
- Lothar
Sibling names for Luther
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Luther — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Luther
What does the name Luther mean?
Army of the people — the Germanic liut, people, joined to heri, an army.
Was Martin Luther King born with that name?
No. His father changed both their names from Michael after visiting Germany in 1934.
Is Lothar the same name?
Yes — the German form of the same compound.
Is Luther coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 1463rd in the United States.
How popular is the name Luther?
In 2025, Luther was given to 122 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Luther a girl's or a boy's name?
Luther is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Luther?
Luther has 2 syllables.
When was Luther most popular?
Luther peaked in 1922, when 1,490 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Luther a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Luther currently ranks #1,463 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.