UK name, mostly boys
Luka
A masculine name of Russian origin meaning "light" or "illumination".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Luka is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Luka popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #233, with 209 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 209 births.
This profile covers 3,109 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Luka is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 3,414 living people in the UK are called Luka. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Luka ranked #233 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 209 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 209 boys were registered as Luka.
- • Luka ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #155 in 2024.
- • About 3,414 living people in the UK are estimated to have Luka as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 90.9% of Luka registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#233
2024
Births in 2024
209
Latest year
Peak year
2024
209 births
Estimated living
3,414
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Luka
In England and Wales birth records, Luka has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 90.9% of registrations are for boys and 9.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Luka registered for boys
- Ranked #233 in 2024
- 209 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (209 births)
Luka registered for girls
- Ranked #4,843 in 2024
- 4 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (23 births)
Meaning
What does Luka mean?
The name Luka has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient times. It is derived from the Latin name Lucas, which in turn comes from the Greek name Loukas. The meaning of Luka is "bringer of light" or "illumination."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Luka is found in the New Testament of the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the four Evangelists who authored the Gospel of Luke. This gospel is believed to have been written around 80-90 AD.
In medieval Europe, the name Luka gained popularity among Christians, particularly in regions with strong cultural ties to the Roman Empire and the Latin language. It was commonly used in Italy, Spain, and other parts of Western Europe during this period.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Luka was Luka Sorkočević, a Dalmatian composer and writer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries (c. 1575-1629). He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Croatian music.
Another notable bearer of the name Luka was Luka Zhidiata, a 14th-century Georgian painter and fresco artist known for his work in the Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi, Georgia. His frescoes are considered among the finest examples of medieval Georgian art.
In the 18th century, Luka Dolci (1703-1768) was an Italian painter from the Baroque period, known for his religious works and portraits. He was active in Venice and is considered one of the most important Venetian artists of his time.
The name Luka also has a presence in literature, with one of the most famous examples being the character Luka Aleksandrovich Khvostchev from Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov." This novel, published in 1880, is considered one of the greatest works of Russian literature.
Another notable literary figure with the name Luka is Luka Kuzmić, a 20th-century Croatian poet and essayist (1892-1969). He was a prominent figure in the Croatian modern literature movement and is known for his lyrical poetry and essays on art and culture.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Luka over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Luka in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Luka, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 209 births in 2024, compared with 209 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luka by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Luka was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #270 | 896 | 5 |
| 2010s | #347 | 1,297 | 10 |
| 2000s | #387 | 840 | 10 |
| 1990s | #841 | 76 | 4 |
Geography
Where Luka is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Luka. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Luka ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #155 in 2024.
Across the UK
Luka in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#155 in 2024
22 years of NRS records, 235 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#256 in 2024
18 years of NISRA records, 92 total registered
Related
Names similar to Luka
- Luke 72,247
- Lewis 69,555
- Leo 63,249
- Liam 60,482
- Lucas 49,061
- Logan 40,771
- Louis 35,898
- Luca 30,323
- Louie 24,242
- Leon 22,308
- Levi 9,931
- Lee 7,861
FAQ
Luka: questions and answers
How popular is the name Luka in the UK right now?
In 2024, Luka was ranked #233 for boys in England and Wales, with 209 births registered.
When was Luka most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 209 babies registered as Luka in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Luka?
A masculine name of Russian origin meaning "light" or "illumination".
How many people are called Luka in the UK?
A total of 3,109 babies have been registered as Luka across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 235 more in Scotland and 92 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Luka most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Luka ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #155 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.