How common is the surname Luke?

18,425 people in the United States had the surname Luke in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 16,757 Americans. It ranked 1,961st of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Luke?

Ned Luke, American actor (born 1958), followed by Derek Luke.

Where is the surname Luke most common?

Wikidata records people named Luke in the United States, the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Is the surname Luke getting more or less common?

More common. 17,016 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 18,425 in 2010, up 8.3%.

Is Luke also a first name?

Yes. Luke is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Luke

A Greek patronymic surname, carried by 18,425 people in the United States.

Pronounced /luk/ 1 syllable Soundex L200 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Luke is more common than 98.8% of them.

Origin

Greek origin

From Latin Lūcās, from Koine Greek Λουκᾶς (Loukâs). See the Greek entry for more.

Luke is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 45 Greek surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 18,425 people named Luke in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 16,757 Americans. That is up 8.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 17,016.

#1,961

rank among US surnames

18,425

people in 2010

6.3

per 100,000 Americans

+8.3%

change since 2000 (was #1,940)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,952	Ordonez	18,498	16,691
#1,953	Chavarria	18,492	16,696
#1,954	Bryson	18,486	16,702
#1,955	Hutton	18,479	16,708
#1,956	Dobbs	18,476	16,711
#1,957	Lay	18,468	16,718
#1,958	Abel	18,464	16,721

Who is named Luke

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

73% of people named Luke identified as white (not Hispanic), 15% as Black (not Hispanic) and 5.0% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

White (not Hispanic) 73%
Black (not Hispanic) 15%
Asian and Pacific Islander 5.0%
Two or more races 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Lukes

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ned Luke
American actor (born 1958)
Derek Luke
American actor, born 1974
Keye Luke
American actor (1904–1991)
Jeremy Luke
American actor, born 1977
Frank Luke
American fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient (1897-1918)
Harry Luke
British Colonial Governor, 1884–1969
Sylvia Luke
American politician (born 1967)
Maxxine Dupri
American professional wrestler and wrestling manager, born 1997

Notable Lukes come mostly from the United States (6), the People's Republic of China (1) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Luke

Luke has the Soundex code L200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L200.

Other Greek surnames

All 45 Greek surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Luke come from?: From Latin Lūcās, from Koine Greek Λουκᾶς (Loukâs). See the Greek entry for more.
How common is the surname Luke?: 18,425 people in the United States had the surname Luke in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 16,757 Americans. It ranked 1,961st of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Luke?: In the 2010 Census, 73% of people named Luke identified as white (not Hispanic), and 15% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Luke?: Ned Luke, American actor (born 1958), followed by Derek Luke.
Where is the surname Luke most common?: Wikidata records people named Luke in the United States, the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
How do you pronounce Luke?: Luke is /luk/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Luke?: Luke is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Luke getting more or less common?: More common. 17,016 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 18,425 in 2010, up 8.3%.
What are other spellings of Luke?: Lk.
Is Luke also a first name?: Yes. Luke is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.