Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Luke

Say it LOOK 1 syllable

Latin

Common in Ontario, Ireland, Scotland, and 4 more places. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 15 more places.

1 in 128 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 23 there.

Luke in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 7, rare in 18.
Luke in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales131 (down)20253801 in 7161092020
Scotland70 (down)2025691 in 285412020
Northern Ireland83 (down)2025291 in 286272020
Ireland23 (down)20251851 in 128142020
North America
Ontario (province)34 (up)2024247about 1 in 242482019
Quebec (province)312 (down)202515about 1 in 1,9372682020
British Columbia (province)51 (down)202351about 1 in 255392018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 21202592020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025742020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025882020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025802020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New Zealand44 (down)202575382020
Western Europe
France1,094 (down)2025301 in 10,0906812020
Netherlands201 (up)202582about 1 in 8112142020
Central Europe
Austria543 (down)202581 in 4,7585052020
Switzerland486 (down)2025151 in 2,4003942020
Berlin (city)169 (down)202321about 1 in 7391262018
Munich (city)175 (new in the list)20257about 1 in 624Not listed2020
Cologne (city)115 (up)202311about 1 in 5801672018
Bonn (city)97 (up)20256about 1 in 5281042020
Leipzig (city)127 (up)20254about 1 in 7191542020
Rostock (city)172 (down)20251about 1 in 1,047832020
Nordic countries
Norway308 (new in the list)2025111 in 2,116Not listed2020
Sweden610 (down)20258about 1 in 5,3915352020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)480 (down)202561 in 3,4514212020
Italy1,181 (new in the list)202461 in 31,560Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland445 (up)202551 in 25,2815822020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Luke is the English form of the name of Luke the Evangelist, the author of one of the four Gospels. It comes from the Latin Lucas and the Greek Loukas, which began as a pet form of the Roman names Lucius or Lucanus, or both.

2 more paragraphs

A single syllable, LOOK, it is short, clean and hard to misspell. Many languages have their own version, among them Lucas, Luca, Luka, Lukas, Luuk, Luc and Loukas.

Luke is most popular in Ireland, where it sits in the top 30, and it is also well used in Ontario and New Zealand. It is falling in more places than it is rising, and in Canada its peak came in the mid-2000s, so it now reads as a steady classic rather than a fashion.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
LOOK · 1 syllable
Meaning
No sourced meaning. We print a meaning only when a dictionary gives one.
Origin
Latin and Greek
Related names
Lucas, Luca, Luka, Loke, Luuk, Luukas, Lukasz, Lukas, Lluc, Lucca, Lockie, Luck, Lucius, Luc, Loukas, Lucjusz, Luike, Lucky, Lake, Lukács, Ruka
Where Luke comes from (Wiktionary)

From Latin Lucas, from Koine Greek Loukas, which the Greek entry explains as a pet form (hypocorism) of the Roman names Lucius or Lucanus, or both. Luke the Evangelist.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Luke. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Luke over time

Rising in 3 of the 20 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 8. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2006.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Luke in England and Wales: #12 in 1996, a peak of #11 in 1997, and #131 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #12, 5,664 boys1997: #11, 5,147 boys1998: #13, 4,934 boys1999: #12, 4,982 boys2000: #11, 4,870 boys2001: #11, 4,610 boys2002: #13, 4,342 boys2003: #14, 3,958 boys2004: #16, 3,647 boys2005: #13, 3,771 boys2006: #17, 3,475 boys2007: #21, 3,125 boys2008: #25, 2,582 boys2009: #33, 2,220 boys2010: #38, 2,090 boys2011: #41, 1,830 boys2012: #45, 1,557 boys2013: #45, 1,415 boys2014: #44, 1,322 boys2015: #58, 1,095 boys2016: #59, 1,056 boys2017: #76, 868 boys2018: #94, 677 boys2019: #100, 632 boys2020: #109, 544 boys2021: #117, 496 boys2022: #110, 505 boys2023: #118, 446 boys2024: #138, 387 boys2025: #131, 380 boys#12 in 1996peak #11, 1997#131in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996125,664
1997115,147
1998134,934
1999124,982
2000114,870
2001114,610
2002134,342
2003143,958
2004163,647
2005133,771
2006173,475
2007213,125
2008252,582
2009332,220
2010382,090
2011411,830
2012451,557
2013451,415
2014441,322
2015581,095
2016591,056
201776868
201894677
2019100632
2020109544
2021117496
2022110505
2023118446
2024138387
2025131380

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Luke in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2004. Peak: 2006, about 509 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 3 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 8.5 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 17.8 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 18.5 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 48.4 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 113.9 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 205.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 222.4 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 312.2 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 347.5 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 423.8 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 462.3 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 473.1 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 458.7 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 407.5 per 100,000 boys20202010-2014: about 1 in 211 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19543
1955–19598.5
1960–196417.8
1965–196918.5
1970–197448.4
1975–1979113.9
1980–1984205.2
1985–1989222.4
1990–1994312.2
1995–1999347.5
2000–2004423.8
2005–2009462.3
2010–2014473.1
2015–2019458.7
2020–2024407.5

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Luke

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Luke, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 614, Scotland

  2. 1 in 169, Ireland

  3. 1 in 1,105, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 130, Scotland

  5. 1 in 162, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 418, Scotland

  7. 1 in 379, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 444, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 267, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 255, Scotland

All 40 brother names for Luke

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Luke's 1 syllable and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 62, Poland

Full-name check

Luke Oliver

Syllables 1-3Initials L.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Luke

Sisters for Luke: Georgia, Lucy, Chloe, and 5 more
  1. GeorgiaRose and fell with Luke · Same generation as Luke
  2. LucyRose and fell with Luke · Same generation as Luke · Same initial as Luke
  3. ChloeRose and fell with Luke · Same generation as Luke
  4. PhoebeRose and fell with Luke · As common as Luke
  5. MaggieRose and fell with Luke · Same generation as Luke
  6. EmilyRose and fell with Luke · Same generation as Luke
  7. MayaRose and fell with Luke · Latin, like Luke
  8. SophiaRose and fell with Luke · Same generation as Luke

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Luke

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Luke's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  2. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  3. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  5. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

Famous people named Luke

Luke Shaw, Luke Perry, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Luke

How popular is Luke in Ireland?

Luke ranked #23 in Ireland in 2025, given to 185 boys, about 1 in 128.

Is Luke rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 3 of the 20 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 8. Rising in: Munich, Norway, and Cologne.

How many syllables does Luke have?

Luke has 1 syllable: LOOK.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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