| Luke | Peter | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | From Lucania; light | Rock, stone |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LOOK | PEE-ter |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2014 (10,523) | 1957 (11,603) |
| In 2025 | 6,948 | 1,954 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Luke | Peter |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 44,149 | 10,923 |
| 2010s | 93,274 | 18,725 |
| 2000s | 90,506 | 26,136 |
| 1990s | 44,434 | 42,394 |
| 1980s | 27,044 | 56,713 |
| 1970s | 10,283 | 62,320 |
| 1960s | 4,071 | 92,418 |
| 1950s | 2,308 | 102,747 |
| 1940s | 1,298 | 69,330 |
| 1930s | 1,269 | 35,822 |
| 1920s | 1,699 | 34,066 |
| 1910s | 1,343 | 24,935 |
| 1900s | 498 | 4,375 |
| 1890s | 402 | 4,028 |
| 1880s | 442 | 4,656 |
Luke is the English form of the Greek Loukas, “from Lucania,” a region of southern Italy. Luke the Evangelist, a physician, wrote the third Gospel and the Book of Acts.
From the Greek petros, “rock.” Jesus renames the apostle Simon as Peter, the rock of the church.
Luke is more popular than Peter today: about 6,948 US babies were given the name Luke in 2025, compared with 1,954 named Peter.
Luke means From Lucania; light (Greek origin), while Peter means Rock, stone (Greek origin).
In US records, Luke first appears in 1880 and Peter in 1880, so Luke has the longer recorded history.