| Patrick | Lucas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Nobleman | Light-bringing; from Lucania |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | PAT-rik | LOO-kus |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 1964 (14,692) | 2017 (13,032) |
| In 2025 | 1,495 | 10,219 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Patrick | Lucas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,101 | 65,795 |
| 2010s | 25,312 | 118,661 |
| 2000s | 44,782 | 70,995 |
| 1990s | 92,931 | 38,178 |
| 1980s | 111,408 | 26,088 |
| 1970s | 91,240 | 8,817 |
| 1960s | 122,717 | 857 |
| 1950s | 96,851 | 339 |
| 1940s | 48,619 | 256 |
| 1930s | 18,390 | 254 |
| 1920s | 11,460 | 403 |
| 1910s | 6,120 | 286 |
| 1900s | 2,141 | 55 |
| 1890s | 2,233 | 67 |
| 1880s | 2,285 | 41 |
Patrick comes from the Latin patricius, “nobleman, patrician.” St Patrick, the 5th-century missionary, is the patron saint of Ireland, and the name is deeply Irish.
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.”
Lucas is more popular than Patrick today: about 10,219 US babies were given the name Lucas in 2025, compared with 1,495 named Patrick.
Patrick means Nobleman (Latin origin), while Lucas means Light-bringing; from Lucania (Latin origin).
In US records, Patrick first appears in 1880 and Lucas in 1881, so Patrick has the longer recorded history.