Lucius
From Latin origin, meaning "light" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 5,510 living Americans carry the first name Lucius. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lucius today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lucius births was 2022 (161 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lucius. 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
5.5K
~ 1 in 62,206 Americans
Peak year
2022
161 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,385
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Lucius: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lucius 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 1,314 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lucius remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lucius 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 Lucius during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lucius' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 31 states and territories. Georgia, South Carolina, Florida recorded the most babies named Lucius, while New Jersey, Indiana, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 146 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lucius
The name Lucius has its origins in the Latin language and culture, dating back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "lux," meaning light or brightness. The name was particularly popular among wealthy and influential Roman families.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals bearing the name Lucius was Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a renowned Stoic philosopher, dramatist, and advisor to the Roman emperor Nero. He lived from around 4 BC to 65 AD and wrote several influential works on ethics, morals, and philosophy.
In the Bible, the name Lucius appears in the New Testament book of Acts, referring to a Christian teacher from Cyrene (modern-day Libya). This Lucius is mentioned alongside the prophet Barnabas and others in the early Christian church.
During the Roman Empire, several emperors bore the name Lucius, including Lucius Septimius Severus (145-211 AD), who reigned from 193 to 211 AD. He is known for his military campaigns and for extending Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire.
Another notable Lucius was Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138-78 BC), a Roman dictator and general who played a significant role in the civil wars of the late Roman Republic. He was known for his brutal suppression of political opponents and his reforms to the Roman constitution.
In the Renaissance period, the name Lucius was associated with several prominent figures, such as Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland (1610-1643), an English politician and writer who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
Over the centuries, the name Lucius has been used by various individuals across different fields, including literature, arts, and sciences. Some examples include Lucius Apuleius (c. 124-170 AD), a Latin philosopher and author best known for his novel "The Golden Ass"; Lucius Annaeus Cornutus (c. 20-67 AD), a Stoic philosopher and teacher of Persius and Lucanus; and Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus (c. 229-160 BC), a Roman general and consul celebrated for his decisive victory over the Macedonian king Perseus at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC.
People
Lucius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lucius 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
Lucius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lucius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,510 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lucius 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 62,206 US residents.
Is Lucius a common name?
We classify Lucius as "Rare". It ranks above 96.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,918 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lucius most popular?
The single biggest year for Lucius was 2022, when 161 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lucius is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lucius a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lucius 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.