2000
#1,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.31
Uncommon Last name
Luke
An English surname derived from the Latin name Lucas, meaning "man from Lucania," a region in southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,909 Americans carry the last name Luke. That puts it at #2,036 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Luke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,216
Census rank
#2,036
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,362 bearers of the surname Luke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2036th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luke, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luke
Among Census respondents with the surname Luke, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Luke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Luke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.4% · 12,041
- Black or African American15.4% · 2,677
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 936
- Two or more races4.8% · 839
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 708
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 161
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luke
Luke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,425
+1,409 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 6.25
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#2,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,362
-1,063 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 5.81
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,940 | 17,016 | 6.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,961 | 18,425 | 6.25 | +1,409 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #2,036 | 17,362 | 5.81 | -1,063 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 75 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Luke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,961 | #2,036 | -3.8% |
| Count | 18,425 | 17,362 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.25 | 5.81 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luke bearers went from 18,425 to 17,362 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,961 to #2,036.
FAQ
Luke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luke?
Name Census estimates that about 19,909 living Americans carry the surname Luke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,216 residents.
How common is Luke?
Luke ranks #2,036 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,362 people with the surname Luke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,909), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Luke.
Has Luke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luke went from 18,425 recorded bearers to 17,362. That is a decrease of 1,063 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,961 to #2,036.
What does the Census say about the background of Luke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luke, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Luke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.4% (12,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.4%), Black (15.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Luke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Luke mean?
An English surname derived from the Latin name Lucas, meaning "man from Lucania," a region in southern Italy. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Luke (5.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Luke?
See how many people have the last name Luke on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.