Vuk
A masculine Slavic name meaning "wolf."
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the first name Vuk. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vuk today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vuk births was 2020 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vuk. 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
237
~ 1 in 1,446,221 Americans
Peak year
2020
24 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,419
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Vuk: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vuk from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 115 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vuk remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vuk 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 Vuk during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vuks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vuk
The name Vuk has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly Serbian and Croatian. It is derived from the Slavic word "vuk," which means "wolf." The name likely emerged during the medieval period in the Balkan region, where Slavic cultures flourished.
Vuk was a popular name among the Serbs and Croats, often given to boys as a symbol of strength, courage, and resilience, qualities associated with the wolf. The name carried a sense of power and respect within these communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vuk can be found in the medieval Serbian epic poetry, particularly in the cycles of Kosovo and Prince Marko. These poems, which date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, feature characters with the name Vuk, reflecting its cultural significance during that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vuk. One of the most renowned figures was Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (1787-1864), a Serbian philologist, linguist, and a major reformer of the Serbian language. He played a crucial role in standardizing the modern Serbian literary language and is considered the father of Serbian folk literature.
Another prominent figure was Vuk Branković (1345-1397), a Serbian nobleman and ruler of the District of Branković in the late 14th century. He played a significant role in the medieval Serbian state and is remembered for his involvement in the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Empire in 1389.
Vuk Grgurević (1506-1550) was a Croatian Renaissance writer and poet, known for his satirical works and contributions to the development of Croatian literature during the 16th century.
Vuk Jeremic (born 1975) is a Serbian politician and diplomat who served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly from 2012 to 2013.
Vuk Drašković (born 1946) is a Serbian politician, writer, and former leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, a prominent political party in Serbia in the late 20th century.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, exemplify the enduring presence and significance of the name Vuk in Slavic cultures, particularly among the Serbs and Croats.
People
Vuk + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vuk as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vuk: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vuk?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vuk 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 1,446,221 US residents.
Is Vuk a common name?
We classify Vuk as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 239 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vuk most popular?
The single biggest year for Vuk was 2020, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vuk is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vuk a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vuk 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.