| Philip | Luke | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lover of horses | From Lucania; light |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | FIL-ip | LOOK |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1953 (6,279) | 2014 (10,523) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 6,948 |
| Trend | Vintage | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Philip | Luke |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,713 | 44,149 |
| 2010s | 7,216 | 93,274 |
| 2000s | 10,193 | 90,506 |
| 1990s | 20,460 | 44,434 |
| 1980s | 35,733 | 27,044 |
| 1970s | 31,367 | 10,283 |
| 1960s | 44,780 | 4,071 |
| 1950s | 60,853 | 2,308 |
| 1940s | 48,735 | 1,298 |
| 1930s | 28,847 | 1,269 |
| 1920s | 27,268 | 1,699 |
| 1910s | 18,166 | 1,343 |
| 1900s | 2,817 | 498 |
| 1890s | 2,147 | 402 |
| 1880s | 1,741 | 442 |
From the Greek Philippos, combining philos 'loving, dear, friend' with hippos 'horse' — literally 'lover of horses', not 'lover' in general. The phil- element genuinely means love/affection, but note the object is horses.
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.
Luke is more popular than Philip today: about 6,948 US babies were given the name Luke in 2025, compared with 0 named Philip.
Philip means Lover of horses (greek origin), while Luke means From Lucania; light (Greek origin).
In US records, Philip first appears in 0 and Luke in 1880, so Philip has the longer recorded history.