| Luke | Theodore | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | From Lucania; light | gift of God |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LOOK | THEE-ə-dor |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2014 (10,523) | 2025 (13,355) |
| In 2025 | 6,948 | 13,355 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Luke | Theodore |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 44,149 | 65,579 |
| 2010s | 93,274 | 40,530 |
| 2000s | 90,506 | 10,556 |
| 1990s | 44,434 | 10,113 |
| 1980s | 27,044 | 11,958 |
| 1970s | 10,283 | 13,567 |
| 1960s | 4,071 | 21,288 |
| 1950s | 2,308 | 29,050 |
| 1940s | 1,298 | 26,249 |
| 1930s | 1,269 | 24,957 |
| 1920s | 1,699 | 31,287 |
| 1910s | 1,343 | 21,106 |
| 1900s | 498 | 6,490 |
| 1890s | 402 | 2,300 |
| 1880s | 442 | 2,176 |
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 Greek Theodoros, combining theos 'God' and doron 'gift' — literally 'gift of God'. Note that Theodore and Dorothea are built from the SAME two elements in reversed order.
Theodore is more popular than Luke today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 6,948 named Luke.
Luke means From Lucania; light (Greek origin), while Theodore means gift of God (greek origin).
In US records, Luke first appears in 1880 and Theodore in 1880, so Luke has the longer recorded history.