Luz
Luz was the 839th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 324 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 454th; the most babies were born in 1999 (573). Over the last ten years it has moved up 122 places. More babies were named Luz in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning light (Spanish) · Spanish, Latin
Say it LOOZ /luz/
- Rank in 2025
- #839 girls, up 171 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 324girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1999573 babies
- Total since 1880
- 28,805babies recorded
What does the name Luz mean?
Luz is the Spanish word for 'light', from Latin lux, lucis. As a given name it is short for María de la Luz, 'Mary of the Light', a title of the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Light, as Wiktionary notes. It is common in Spain and Latin America and is also used in Portuguese. Related names include Lucia and Lucy, from the same Latin word family.
luz (Spanish, “light”)lūx (Latin, “light”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: In Spanish it is LOOS (Latin America) or LOOTH (Spain).
Related names: Lucia, Lucy, Lux, Marisol.
See also: Spanish names, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Luz' (Spanish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'luz' (Spanish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Luz popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 931 since 1901.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #839 | 324 |
| 2020 | #1,010 | 250 |
| 2010 | #746 | 374 |
| 2000 | #533 | 489 |
| 1990 | #604 | 374 |
| 1980 | #492 | 422 |
| 1970 | #476 | 426 |
| 1960 | #586 | 286 |
| 1950 | #965 | 88 |
| 1940 | #1,127 | 42 |
| 1930 | #905 | 65 |
| 1920 | #1,009 | 54 |
| 1910 | #1,018 | 19 |
| 1900 | #1,669 | 7 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Luz, counting every spelling?
Luz is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #819 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #839 for Luz on its own. Together these spellings went to 329 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luz | 324 | #839 | 1,555 |
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 Luz?
324 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Luz (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Luz born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 26 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Luz.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Luz?
About 25,000 people born in the US named Luz are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 20 and 53. That makes Luz mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Luz by state
How common Luz was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.5×), California (2.1×), Texas (1.8×), New Jersey (1.6×). In 21 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Luz: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Luz, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Luz · Sibling names for Luz
Questions about the name Luz
What does Luz mean?
Luz means “light (Spanish)” (Spanish, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Luz?
Luz was the 839th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 324 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 454th; the most babies were born in 1999 (573). Over the last ten years it has moved up 122 places. More babies were named Luz in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Luz a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Luz in the US.
Where is Luz most popular?
In 2021–2025, Luz was most common in Arizona (0.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Texas.