| Lucas | Julian | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Light-bringing; from Lucania | Youthful |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LOO-kus | JOO-lee-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1881 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2017 (13,032) | 2017 (8,455) |
| In 2025 | 10,219 | 7,603 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Lucas | Julian |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 65,795 | 44,640 |
| 2010s | 118,661 | 79,530 |
| 2000s | 70,995 | 60,391 |
| 1990s | 38,178 | 27,674 |
| 1980s | 26,088 | 12,933 |
| 1970s | 8,817 | 6,800 |
| 1960s | 857 | 4,835 |
| 1950s | 339 | 4,827 |
| 1940s | 256 | 5,157 |
| 1930s | 254 | 4,860 |
| 1920s | 403 | 6,897 |
| 1910s | 286 | 4,650 |
| 1900s | 55 | 793 |
| 1890s | 67 | 558 |
| 1880s | 41 | 440 |
Lucas is the Latin form of Luke, from Loukas — most often understood as “from Lucania” in southern Italy, and popularly associated with the Latin lux, “light.”
Julian comes from the Latin Julianus, from the family name Julius. Borne by saints and by the Roman emperor known as Julian the Apostate.
Lucas is more popular than Julian today: about 10,219 US babies were given the name Lucas in 2025, compared with 7,603 named Julian.
Lucas means Light-bringing; from Lucania (Latin origin), while Julian means Youthful (Latin origin).
In US records, Lucas first appears in 1881 and Julian in 1880, so Julian has the longer recorded history.