Find out how popular the last name Luke is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Luke.

Luke, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Luke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luke in America

Luke is the 1961st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luke surname appeared 18,425 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Luke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luke to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Luke

The surname Luke originated in England and is derived from the Latin name Lucas, which means "man from Lucania," an ancient region in southern Italy. It is thought to have been introduced to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Luke can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Luca" and "Lucas." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in England.

During the medieval period, the surname Luke was often spelled in various ways, including Loke, Looke, and Luck. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Luke was Sir Samuel Luke (1586-1670), a prominent English militiaman and politician who fought for the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

In the 16th century, the surname Luke was associated with several place names in England, such as Luckington in Wiltshire and Luckley in Berkshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Another distinguished bearer of the Luke surname was Sir Harry Luke (1884-1969), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Malta from 1942 to 1944.

The 18th century saw the birth of John Luke (1731-1799), a British agriculturist and author who wrote several influential works on farming practices and rural economy.

In the realm of literature, Samuel Luke (1805-1870) was an English poet and clergyman who published several volumes of poetry, including "The Songs of Zion" in 1853.

The 20th century brought forth Sir Ralph Beresford Luke (1915-2004), a British diplomat and author who served as the Governor of Gibraltar from 1968 to 1973.

Throughout its history, the surname Luke has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including military leaders, politicians, writers, and agriculturists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luke

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Luke.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Luke was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Luke has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Luke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Luke, please contact us.

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