Meaning and history
Luke is the English form of Latin Lucas, from the Greek name Λουκᾶς (Loukas), probably a shortened form of Λουκανός (Loukanos) meaning “from Lucania,” a region in southern Italy, though it may also come from the Latin name Lucius. Luke was a doctor who traveled with the apostle Paul and, according to tradition, wrote the third gospel and Acts in the New Testament; he was probably Greek and is regarded as a saint by many Christian denominations. Because of his reputation, the name became widespread in the Christian world in various spellings, and in English it has been used since the 12th century alongside Lucas, with both forms becoming popular across the English-speaking world in the late 20th century. A well-known fictional bearer is Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars films, beginning in 1977.
20062006: 10,087 births, rank #43
2007: 9,609 births, rank #46
2008: 9,424 births, rank #43
2009: 8,625 births, rank #47
2010: 8,850 births, rank #41
20112011: 8,706 births, rank #39
2012: 9,022 births, rank #37
2013: 9,588 births, rank #34
2014: 10,523 births, rank #28
2015: 10,294 births, rank #28
20162016: 10,001 births, rank #29
2017: 9,224 births, rank #30
2018: 8,624 births, rank #30
2019: 8,442 births, rank #32
2020: 7,784 births, rank #31
20212021: 7,711 births, rank #32
2022: 7,393 births, rank #34
2023: 7,251 births, rank #31
2024: 7,062 births, rank #34
20252025: 6,948 births, rank #33
Luke has made a dramatic comeback. After first appearing in the US records in 1880, it fell to #601 by 1942, before climbing to #33 in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2014, with 10,523 births.