Luke (name)

Luke

Map of Lucania
Pronunciation /luːk/
Gender Masculine
Name day October 18
Origin
Word/name Greek
Meaning "Light"
Other names
Related names Luc, Luca, Lucas, Lukas

Luke /ˈluːk/ is a male given name, and less commonly, a surname.

The name Luke is the English form of the Latin name Lucas, which comes from the Koine Greek name Λουκᾶς. This, in turn, is derived from the Latin name Lucius, and it either means "the great Lucius", or it is a shortened form of the Latin name. Lucius means "the bright one" or "the one born at dawn".[1][2] (The often seen derivation or explanation of Λουκᾶς as "man from Lucania" is not supported by reliable sources.)

Although the name is attested in ancient inscriptions, the best known historical use of the name is in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke was written around 70 to 90 AD (the exact years are unknown), and was from here that the name was first popularized. Luke, who is credited with the authorship of the Gospel of Luke, was a physician who lived around 30 to 130 AD. Luke is also credited with the Book of Acts in the Bible, and also is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in some of Paul's letters to first-century churches.

Luke is the 21st most popular name for new babies in England and Wales,[3] the 43rd most popular name for new babies in the United States,[4] and the 2,105th most common surname in the US, with 15,000 people (0.006%) sharing the surname.[5]

Popularity of name Luke
in England and Wales[3]
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 1998
25th 21st 17th 13th 15th 14th 13th
Popularity of name Luke in United States[4]
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987
43rd 41st 41st 46th 46th 50th 59th 67th 75th 78th 75th 82nd 91st 87th 93rd 113th 118th 121st 119th 111th

Variants in other languages

People known as Luke

Fictional people

People with the surname

References

  1. ↑ p. 529
  2. ↑ p.247-248 (in German)
  3. 1 2 Top 100 names for baby boys in England and Wales
  4. 1 2 "Popular Baby Names". ssa.gov.
  5. ↑ "Name statistics: Luke". namestatistics.com. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
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