Lucas
Lucas was the 10th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 10,219 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 2017 (13,032). Over the last ten years it has moved up 6 places. More babies were named Lucas in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'man from Lucania' (via Luke) · Ancient Greek, Latin
Say it LOO-kus /ˈlukəs/
- Rank in 2025
- #10 boys, down 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 10,219boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201713,032 babies
- Total since 1880
- 331,628babies recorded
What does the name Lucas mean?
Lucas is the Latin (and Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and French) form of Luke. It comes from Greek Loukas, which DMNES explains as 'man from Lucania', a region of southern Italy; Wiktionary also discusses links with the Roman name Lucius. Luke the Evangelist is traditionally credited with the third Gospel.
Λουκᾶς (Koine Greek, “Loukas”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'From Lucania' (DMNES) and a pet form of Lucius (Wiktionary, under Luca) are both proposed.
See also: Greek names, names from places.
Nicknames for Lucas
The usual nicknames for Lucas are Luke. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Lucas in the last five years, 67 were named Luke, against 150 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luke · also for Lukas | Modern | #33 | 36,365 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lucass go by each one.
Lucas popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 536 since 1976, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10 | 10,219 |
| 2020 | #8 | 11,386 |
| 2010 | #35 | 10,388 |
| 2000 | #83 | 4,818 |
| 1990 | #112 | 3,088 |
| 1980 | #98 | 3,080 |
| 1970 | #645 | 160 |
| 1960 | #865 | 78 |
| 1950 | #1,520 | 24 |
| 1940 | #1,605 | 19 |
| 1930 | #1,320 | 30 |
| 1920 | #1,114 | 41 |
| 1910 | #1,016 | 11 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lucas, counting every spelling?
Lucas is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #12 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #10 for Lucas on its own. Together these spellings went to 10,278 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas | 10,219 | #10 | 54,409 |
| Luccas | 48 | #2,701 | 163 |
| Lucus | 11 | #7,482 | 71 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lucas?
10,219 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lucas (2.83 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Lucas born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 19. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 1.2 children named Lucas.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lucas?
About 323,400 people born in the US named Lucas are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 8 and 24. That makes Lucas mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lucas by state
How common Lucas was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (2.3×), New Hampshire (1.9×), Wyoming (1.9×), Delaware (1.8×), Connecticut (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Louisiana, North Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lucas: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lucas, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lucas · Sibling names for Lucas
Questions about the name Lucas
What does Lucas mean?
Lucas means “'man from Lucania' (via Luke)” (Ancient Greek, Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lucas?
Lucas was the 10th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 10,219 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 2017 (13,032). Over the last ten years it has moved up 6 places. More babies were named Lucas in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Lucas a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Lucas in the US.
Where is Lucas most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lucas was most common in Rhode Island (14.66 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Wyoming.