Meaning:
Its source is Loukas, a Greek name meaning "One from Lucania."
Languages:
This boy's name is used in English, French, Spanish, Polish, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.
Non-English Forms: Lucan, Luka, Luca, Lukas, Loek and Lukacz
Popularity:
The name Lucas ranked 78th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 381st in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists of the 1990s, and has been trending upward in usage ever since.
Narrative:
Just as Germany is the English name for the country known to its own people as Deutschland, the ancient Greeks had names for various regions of the world, including those inhabited by non-Greeks. Lucania was their name for the region of Italy now known as Basilicata. Loukas was a name given to individuals from that area.
Over time Loukas developed into a number of forms commonly used throughout the ancient world. (In ancient times, Greek was the language of business, much as English is today.) They were used without respect to the home country of the person so called.
Continued use of this name (in various forms) can be attributed to the author of the third gospel in the Christian scriptures. Depending on the translation of the Bible, he is known as Luke, Lucas or Lucius.
