Lucien
Masculine name of French origin derived from Latin, meaning light or shining.
Name Census estimates that about 5,980 living Americans carry the first name Lucien. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lucien today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lucien births was 2024 (255 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lucien. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
6.0K
~ 1 in 57,317 Americans
Peak year
2024
255 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#912
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Lucien
Out of the 9,730 babies given the name Lucien since 1880, 99.9% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Lucien as a male name
- Ranked #912 in 2024
- 255 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (255 births)
Lucien as a female name
- Ranked #18,894 in 2006
- 5 female births in 2006
- Peak: 2006 (5 births)
Popularity
Lucien: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lucien from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,650 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lucien remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lucien by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lucien during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Luciens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. New York, Massachusetts, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Lucien, while Wisconsin, Utah, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 137 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lucien
The given name Lucien originates from the Latin name Lucianus, which is derived from the Roman name Lucius. Lucius is rooted in the Latin word "lux," meaning "light." The name Lucien thus signifies "light" or "bright" and has been used across various cultures and time periods.
During the Roman era, the name Lucianus was relatively common, particularly among the upper classes. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Lucian of Samosata, a renowned satirist and rhetorician from the 2nd century AD. His witty and biting satires on philosophy, religion, and society earned him a prominent place in classical literature.
In the early Christian era, the name Lucien gained popularity due to its association with several saints and martyrs. One notable figure was St. Lucian of Antioch, a priest and martyr from the 3rd century AD, who was revered for his unwavering faith and refusal to renounce Christianity during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian.
The name Lucien also had a presence in medieval Europe. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Lucien de Beauvau, a French nobleman and military leader who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War in the 15th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Lucien is associated with the French writer Lucien de Samosate, a satirist and philosopher from the 2nd century AD, whose works were widely read and admired during the Renaissance period.
Other notable individuals named Lucien throughout history include:
1. Lucien Bonaparte (1775-1840), the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who served as a French prince and diplomat.
2. Lucien Gaudin (1886-1934), a French fencer who won two Olympic gold medals in the individual foil and team foil events at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
3. Lucien Fabre (1889-1952), a French aviator and World War I fighter ace credited with 28 confirmed aerial victories.
4. Lucien Lelong (1889-1958), a French fashion designer and founder of the Lucien Lelong fashion house, known for revolutionizing the concept of modern perfumery.
5. Lucien Camus (1892-1977), a French painter and illustrator renowned for his Cubist and Fauvist works, as well as his collaborations with renowned writers like Albert Camus and Jean Cocteau.
People
Lucien + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lucien as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lucien: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lucien?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,980 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lucien going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,317 US residents.
Is Lucien a common name?
We classify Lucien as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,730 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lucien most popular?
The single biggest year for Lucien was 2024, when 255 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lucien is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lucien a male name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Lucien in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.