Luken
A masculine name derived from the Old English word "leoht" meaning "light".
Name Census estimates that about 275 living Americans carry the first name Luken. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Luken today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luken births was 2009 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luken. 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
275
~ 1 in 1,246,379 Americans
Peak year
2009
22 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,668
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Luken: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luken from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 141 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Luken remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luken 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 Luken during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lukens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Luken
The name Luken originates from the Old English words "leoht" meaning light and "cyn" meaning kin or family. It was a common Anglo-Saxon name during the Middle Ages, given to boys in England and parts of Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Luken can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Luken of Wessex is mentioned. The name also appears in various medieval charters and records from England and Scotland.
In the 12th century, a monk named Luken of Ely is known to have written a chronicle about the Abbey of Ely. This historical document provides valuable insights into the life and customs of the time.
During the 13th century, a Scottish nobleman named Luken de Argyll played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. He fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and his exploits are recorded in several historical accounts of the period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Luken Brewster was a prominent merchant and member of the Guild of Brewers in London. He is mentioned in various guild records and trade documents from that era.
Another individual of note was Luken Wycliffe, a 16th-century English clergyman and scholar who was involved in the translation of the Bible into English. He is remembered for his contributions to the Reformation movement and the spread of Protestantism.
Over the centuries, the name Luken has been spelled in various ways, including Lucken, Luccan, and Lukan. While it has retained its connection to the concepts of light and family, the name has also taken on deeper symbolic meanings related to enlightenment, guidance, and cultural heritage.
People
Luken + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luken 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
Luken: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luken?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 275 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luken 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 1,246,379 US residents.
Is Luken a common name?
We classify Luken as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luken most popular?
The single biggest year for Luken was 2009, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luken is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Luken a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Luken 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.