Luna
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "moon".
Roughly 79,339 people in the United States go by the first name Luna, which ranks #13 nationally when sorted by estimated living bearers. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Luna today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luna births was 2022 (8,982 babies). In terms of living bearers, it sits close to Felicia (79,207).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luna. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Luna is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 109 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Luna is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 8 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
79K
~ 1 in 4,320 Americans
Peak year
2022
8,982 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Luna
Out of the 81,677 babies given the name Luna since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Luna as a male name
- Ranked #9,493 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (15 births)
Luna as a female name
- Ranked #13 in 2024
- 7,135 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (8,967 births)
Popularity
Luna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luna from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 40,079 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luna 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 Luna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lunas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Luna, while Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,550 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Luna
Luna is a feminine given name with origins dating back to ancient Roman times. It comes from the Latin word "luna" which means "moon". The name is derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna.
In ancient Roman mythology, Luna was the divine embodiment of the moon and the daughter of the gods Hyperion and Theia. She was often depicted as a beautiful woman riding a chariot pulled by white horses or oxen. The worship of Luna was widespread throughout the Roman Empire and her name became a popular choice for baby girls born during the full moon.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Luna can be found in the writings of the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. In his work "Fasti", Ovid refers to the goddess Luna and her role in the Roman religious calendar.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women named Luna. One of the most famous was Luna Baglioni (1532-1593), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts who was known for her beauty and intelligence. Another notable Luna was Luna Mikhaylovna Kosmodemyanskaya (1923-1942), a Soviet partisan and World War II hero who was executed by the Nazis for her resistance activities.
In the realm of literature, Luna Lovegood is a beloved character in the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. She was introduced in the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", published in 2003, and became a fan favorite for her quirky personality and loyalty to her friends.
Other famous women named Luna include Luna Rioumina (1899-1954), a Russian ballerina and choreographer, and Luna Park (1868-1944), an American actress and vaudeville performer.
While the name Luna has its roots in ancient Roman times, it has remained a popular choice for baby girls throughout the centuries, with its association with the moon and its celestial connotations.
People
Luna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luna 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
Luna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 79,339 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luna 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 4,320 US residents.
Is Luna a common name?
We classify Luna as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 81,677 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luna most popular?
The single biggest year for Luna was 2022, when 8,982 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luna is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Luna a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Luna in the SSA data are female. 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.