Luster
A name derived from the Old French word meaning "gleam" or "shine".
Name Census estimates that about 344 living Americans carry the first name Luster. It is a predominantly male name (98.9% of registrations). The average person named Luster today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luster births was 1920 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luster. 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
- • The typical person named Luster is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lusters were born before 1962.
People living today
344
~ 1 in 996,379 Americans
Peak year
1920
37 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1988 SSA rank
#4,605
Tracked since 1882
Gender
Gender distribution for Luster
Luster leans heavily male at 98.9% of total registrations, but 12 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Luster as a male name
- Ranked #6,929 in 1988
- 6 male births in 1988
- Peak: 1920 (37 births)
Luster as a female name
- Ranked #4,605 in 1927
- 6 female births in 1927
- Peak: 1924 (6 births)
Popularity
Luster: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luster from the 1880s through to the 1980s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 267 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luster 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 Luster during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lusters live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Luster, while Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Luster
The given name Luster is derived from the Latin word "lustrum," which means "bright" or "shining." The name has its origins in ancient Roman culture, where it was likely used to describe someone with a radiant or luminous appearance.
In the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the name Luster was occasionally bestowed upon individuals, particularly those of noble or wealthy backgrounds. However, its usage remained relatively rare compared to more common Roman names like Julius, Marcus, or Claudius.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Luster can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a Roman soldier named Luster Flavius fighting in the Punic Wars against Carthage in the 3rd century BC.
During the Middle Ages, the name Luster fell out of widespread use in most parts of Europe, but it did maintain a minor presence in certain regions, particularly in Italy and parts of the Mediterranean.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Luster Della Rovere was a wealthy Italian merchant and patron of the arts, known for his support of Renaissance artists and architects in Florence.
The name Luster experienced a modest resurgence in popularity during the 17th and 18th centuries, especially among affluent families in England and France. One notable figure from this period was Luster Montague, an English aristocrat and politician who served as a member of Parliament in the late 1600s.
In the 19th century, the American author and poet Luster Longfellow, born in 1807, helped to reintroduce the name to a wider audience through his literary works, which often celebrated themes of light and brightness.
Another prominent individual with the name Luster was the British explorer and naturalist Luster Livingstone, born in 1813, who is famous for his expeditions in Africa and his efforts to abolish the slave trade.
While the name Luster has never been among the most popular given names, it has maintained a consistent, if modest, presence throughout history, serving as a reminder of its ancient Roman origins and its association with brightness and radiance.
People
Luster + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luster 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
Luster: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luster?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 344 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luster 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 996,379 US residents.
Is Luster a common name?
We classify Luster as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,132 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luster most popular?
The single biggest year for Luster was 1920, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luster is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Luster a male name?
Yes, 98.9% of people registered as Luster 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.