Luca
Say it: LOO-ka/ˈluːkə/
Boy4 letters2 syllables
#11
in Ireland (2025)
260
babies in 2025
#11
best rank (2025)
2,172
babies since 1994
Up 89
10-year rank change
Luca through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 260 | #11 |
| 2024 | 203 | #23 |
| 2023 | 202 | #23 |
| 2022 | 186 | #29 |
| 2021 | 121 | #57 |
| 2020 | 106 | #62 |
| 2019 | 116 | #60 |
| 2018 | 88 | #80 |
| 2017 | 66 | #102 |
| 2016 | 77 | #93 |
| 2015 | 71 | #100 |
| 2014 | 78 | #99 |
| 2013 | 67 | #107 |
| 2012 | 61 | #116 |
| 2011 | 48 | #147 |
| 2010 | 49 | #147 |
| 2009 | 41 | #155 |
| 2008 | 61 | #122 |
| 2007 | 52 | #123 |
| 2006 | 52 | #116 |
| 2005 | 42 | #129 |
| 2004 | 40 | #126 |
| 2003 | 26 | #152 |
| 2002 | 20 | #174 |
| 2001 | 10 | #226 |
| 2000 | 15 | #177 |
| 1999 | 4 | #330 |
| 1998 | 3 | #369 |
| 1997 | 3 | #382 |
| 1994 | 4 | #299 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Luca mean?
Uncertain
Italian form of Luke, from the Greek Loukas.
Say it right
LOOka
The story of Luca
Luca is the Italian form of Luke. Both go back through Latin to the Greek Loukas, probably a pet form of the Roman name Lucius or Lucanus, so the name’s first meaning is uncertain. In Italian, Luca is also the name of Saint Luke the Evangelist. In a few countries, such as Hungary, Luca is a girls’ name, a form of Lucy.
English speakers took up the name widely in the 2000s.
Luca first appears in the CSO records in 1994 and grew slowly until the late 2010s. Then it took off, reaching number 11 in 2025, its best year so far, with 260 boys. It is even more popular in Northern Ireland, where it was 7th in 2024 and 8th in 2025. The CSO counts Luca and Lúca separately; these figures combine them. A few girls in Ireland are called Luca too, but only a handful.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Luca (English proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Luca (Italian proper noun)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland, full name list 1997-2025
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Luca | 260 | 2,154 |
| Lúca | under 3 | 18 |
In Northern Ireland
#8 in 2025 with 104 babies. Best rank #7 (2024); 889 babies since 2000.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.
Luca is also given to girls: 24 since 2006.