boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Lucian

Meaning light Gender Boy Rank 2025 #462 Trend ↑ Rising 64%

From Latin Lūcianus, either a derivative of the Roman praenomen Lūcius, from lūx (“light”); or from Ancient Greek Λουκιανός (Loukianós), of obscure meaning.

Rank 2025
#462
among boys · ↑25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
670
named Lucian · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,549
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
670 babies
All-time total
14,501
#989 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lucian popularity over time

14,501 babies have been named Lucian since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 219 219 22 – #292
1890s – 160 160 16 -27% #426
1900s – 162 162 16 +1% #522
1910s – 770 770 77 +375% #499
1920s 10 957 967 97 +26% #556
1930s – 546 546 55 -44% #688
1940s – 490 490 49 -10% #793
1950s – 448 448 45 -9% #857
1960s – 300 300 30 -33% #1,128
1970s 11 272 283 28 -6% #1,523
1980s – 300 300 30 +6% #1,458
1990s – 372 372 37 +24% #1,828
2000s 6 1,873 1,879 188 +405% #607
2010s 5 4,249 4,254 425 +126% #567
2020s (to 2025) – 3,351 3,351 559 +31% #462

Where Lucian is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 726 0.43 #437
2027 778 0.46 #410
2028 824 0.48 #385
2029 866 0.51 #369
2030 903 0.53 #363

Where Lucian is most popular

Boys named Lucian per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.339 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Lucian born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 57 0.751 +121%
New Mexico 23 0.698 +106%
Oklahoma 49 0.554 +63%
Connecticut 37 0.547 +61%
Kentucky 54 0.538 +59%
Washington 88 0.538 +59%
Indiana 81 0.505 +49%
Michigan 99 0.483 +42%
Arizona 76 0.465 +37%
Minnesota 56 0.456 +35%
Idaho 18 0.440 +30%
Illinois 111 0.434 +28%
Wisconsin 49 0.414 +22%
Colorado 53 0.411 +21%
North Dakota 7 0.410 +21%
Florida 194 0.410 +21%
Massachusetts 55 0.400 +18%
Texas 344 0.390 +15%
Nevada 22 0.386 +14%
Arkansas 24 0.379 +12%
Virginia 71 0.374 +10%
Kansas 25 0.364 +7%
California 328 0.359 +6%
Missouri 49 0.354 ≈ national
Ohio 93 0.351 ≈ national
Utah 33 0.346 ≈ national
North Carolina 88 0.345 ≈ national
Tennessee 62 0.343 ≈ national
New York 141 0.326 ≈ national
West Virginia 10 0.306 -10%
Georgia 74 0.292 -14%
Pennsylvania 76 0.286 -16%
Alabama 30 0.274 -19%
South Dakota 5 0.269 -21%
Maryland 31 0.260 -23%
Maine 5 0.258 -24%
New Jersey 50 0.248 -27%
Mississippi 13 0.229 -33%
South Carolina 22 0.213 -37%
Iowa 13 0.189 -44%
Louisiana 19 0.186 -45%
Nebraska 6 0.138 -59%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lucian

Lucian is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #462 in 2025 with 670 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 14,501 American babies have been named Lucian. Its peak came in 2025, when 670 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lucian stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lucian?

The median living Lucian is about 11 years old; half are between 4 and 18. An estimated 11 thousand people named Lucian are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lucian year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 670 #462
2024 – – 635 #487
2023 – – 613 #489
2022 – – 543 #547
2021 – – 469 #594
2020 – – 421 #636
2019 – – 398 #665
2018 – – 396 #648
2017 – – 469 #579
2016 – – 428 #626
2015 – – 422 #633
2014 5 #18,137 441 #607
2013 – – 393 #626
2012 – – 435 #587
2011 – – 419 #596
2010 – – 448 #567
2009 – – 426 #607
2008 – – 272 #807
2007 6 #16,747 281 #779
2006 – – 249 #818
2005 – – 217 #847
2004 – – 142 #1,120
2003 – – 82 #1,559
2002 – – 73 #1,644
2001 – – 71 #1,653
2000 – – 60 #1,810
1995 – – 33 #2,383
1990 – – 37 #2,034
1985 – – 25 #2,204
1980 – – 43 #1,458
1975 6 #8,607 24 #1,980
1970 – – 28 #1,644
1965 – – 27 #1,501
1960 – – 49 #1,128
1955 – – 54 #1,030
1950 – – 36 #1,213
1945 – – 43 #982
1940 – – 42 #1,002
1935 – – 39 #1,034
1930 – – 83 #688
1925 – – 101 #633
1920 – – 123 #556
1915 – – 124 #499
1910 – – 17 #744
1905 – – 16 #606
1900 – – 21 #522
1895 – – 15 #544
1890 – – 16 #474
1885 – – 25 #351
1880 – – 18 #416

Famous people named Lucian

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lucian Freud Lucian Freud British painter and engraver (1922–2011) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lucian 2nd-century Syrian satirist and rhetorician 120–200 · Antiquity
  3. 3 Lucian Bute Lucian Bute Romanian boxer (born 1980) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lucian of Antioch Lucian of Antioch Christian martyr, presbyter and theologian 240–312 · Antiquity
  5. 5 Lucian Blaga Lucian Blaga Romanian philosopher and writer (1895–1961) 19th century
  6. 6 Lucian Mureșan Lucian Mureșan Romanian Catholic cardinal (1931–2025) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lucian Sânmărtean Lucian Sânmărtean Romanian footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lucian Pintilie Lucian Pintilie Romanian filmmaker (1933–2018) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lucian Marinescu Romanian footballer b. 1972 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lucian, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lucian?

The median living Lucian is about 11 years old. Half of all living Lucians are between 4 and 18 years old.

How many people named Lucian are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Lucian are alive in the United States, based on 14,501 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lucian mean?

From Latin Lūcianus, either a derivative of the Roman praenomen Lūcius, from lūx (“light”); or from Ancient Greek Λουκιανός (Loukianós), of obscure meaning.

How popular is the name Lucian in 2025?

Lucian ranked #462 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 670 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lucian?

14,501 babies have been named Lucian in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lucian most popular?

Lucian peaked in 2025, when 670 newborns received the name.

Is Lucian a boy or girl name?

Lucian is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lucian rising or falling?

Lucian is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lucian become more popular?

Lucian is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 903 boys named Lucian in 2030, which would rank around #363. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lucian?

Well-known people named Lucian include Lucian Freud (painter), Lucian (writer), Lucian Bute (boxer).

Names like Lucian

Names that sound and feel close to Lucian: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lucian with similar names → More names starting with L →