Luke

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The name Luke derives from the Greek "Loukas" meaning "from Lucania." In ancient times, Lucania was a district in southern Italy. The Gaelic form of Luke is Lucas.

In the Bible, Luke the Evangelist authored the third and fifth books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles, respectively. He is also known as the patron Saint of physicians and surgeons, as he was a doctor during his lifetime.

POPULARITY

According to the 1990 United States Census, Luke ranked as the 320th most popular male first name and the 2,105th most popular last name. In the United States, the name has ranked in the Top 1,000 most popular boy's names every decade since 1880.

In the 21st century, the name Luke has maintained a ranking in the Top 100 most popular boy's names each year from 2000 to 2006.

United States Popularity of the Name Luke in the 21st Century.

• Year: 2006 Rank:43rd
  
• Year: 2005 Rank:41st
  
• Year: 2004 Rank:42nd
  
• Year: 2003 Rank:47th
  
• Year: 2002 Rank:47th
  
• Year: 2001 Rank:51st
  
• Year: 2000 Rank:59th
  

In 2007, the popularity of a variation of the name Luke as a boy's name ranked in the Top 20 in Australia (Lucas - 18th, Luke - 22nd, Luca - 79th), Belgium (Lukas - 4th, Lucas - 21st, Luca - 34th), Brazil (Lucas - 4th), Denmark (Lucas - 2nd), New Zealand (Lucas - 14th, Luke - 15th) and Sweden (Lucas - 2nd) - ranking in the Top 5 in Belgium, Brazil, Denmark and Sweden.

FACTS

• Tropical Storm Luke was formed as a tropical depression in the Pacific Ocean on September 14, 1991. Its winds peeked at 60 miles per hour. The storm formed just west of the Northern Marianas Islands (located in the west Pacific Ocean). It was named Tropical Storm Luke on September 15th. It paralleled the southeast coast of Japan resulting in flooding and mudslides. The effect of this caused the death of 8 people.
• February 7th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Luke the Younger.
• May 30th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Luke Kirby.
• June 3rd is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Luke Banabakiutu.
• June 5th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Luke Loan.
• August 17th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Luke Kiemon.
• October 18th is celebrated in the Ukraine in honor of the name Luke.
• October 18th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Luke.

NAMESAKES

• "Luke Skywalker" was the son of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the famous movie trilogy "Star Wars" directed by George Lucas
• "Cool Hand Luke" was a 1967 movie that won one Academy Award (Oscar) and was nominated for three others.
• "Lucky Luke" was a Belgian comic book series created by Maurice de Bevere.
• "Luke Air Force Base" is an Air Force base in Arizona, USA.
• "Lukey" is a song by the musical group "Great Big Sea."

• Television Characters Named Luke:
  • Luke Cassellis, played by Andy Chambers, was a character on "Degrassi Junior High".
  • Luke Girardi, played by Michael Welch, was a character in "Joan of Arcadia".
• Luke Brower, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, was a character in late episodes of "Growing Pains".
  • Luke Danes was a main character played by Scott Patterson in the drama "Gilmore Girls".
  • Luke Duke, played by Tom Wopat, was a main character in "The Dukes of Hazzard".
  • Luke Ward was a character on "The O.C." played by Chris Carmack.
• Movie Characters Named Luke:
  • Luke was portrayed by Matthew Frauman in the 2000 drama "Bounce".
  • Luke Churner was a main character in the 1999 comedy thriller "Teaching Mrs. Tingle".
  • Luke Harrison was a main character played by Ed Harris in the 1998 comedy, drama "Stepmom".
  • Luke Jackson, portrayed by Paul Newman, was the leading character in the 1967 drama "Cool Hand Luke".
  • Luke McNamara was played by Joshua Jackson in the 2000 crime, thriller "The Skulls".
• Comic Book Characters Named Luke:
  • Luke Cage was a character in 8 different comic book titles published by Marvel Comics (listed below).

1. "Power Man and Iron Fist": He made 68 appearances.
2. "Power Man": He made 33 appearances.
3. "New Avengers": He made 33 appearances.
4. "Cage": He made 20 appearances.
5. "Heroes for Hire": He made 18 appearances.
6. "Hero For Hire": He made 16 appearances.
7. "Daredevil": He made 14 appearances.
8. "The Defenders": He made 14 appearances.

• • Luke McKendrick was a character who made 23 appearances in "Action Comics Weekly" and 1 appearance in "Action Comics". These titles were published by D.C. Comics.
  • Luke Skywalker was a comic book character in 9 different comic book titles published by 3 different publishers. He also made one appearance in the comic book title "Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad" published by EC Comics.
  • The five titles in which Luke Skywalker appeared all published by Dark Horse are: "Star Wars: Dark Empire II" (6 issues), "Star Wars Tales" (6 issues), "Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: Infinities" (1 issue), "Sergio Aragones Stomps Star Wars" (1 issue), and "DArk Horse Presents Annual" (1 issue).
  • The three titles published by Marvel Comic in which Luke Skywalker appears are "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (4 issues), "Marvel Movie Showcase" (2 issues), and "Star Wars" (2 issues).

• Geographical Namesakes:
  • States that have a town called Luke: Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee.
  • Towns in Ohio with the name Luke: Luke Chute and Lukes Corner.
  • Luke Island is located in the state of Virginia.
  • There is a Luke Landing in Louisiana and a Lukes Landing in Alabama.
  • Lukens is a town in Florida. It's also a town in North Carolina.
  • Lukeville, Arizona and Lukeville, Louisiana.

FAMOUS PERSONS

• George Lucas is a writer, director, editor and producer who was nominated for four Academy Awards (Oscars) and it most notably known for his seminal work Star Wars.
• Luke Damon Goss, born on September 29, 1968, is a stage and film actor. He's also a singer.
• Luke A. Halpin was born on April 4, 1947 in Queens, New York. He was a child actor who was most famous for his role in "Flipper".
• Luke Perry was born Coy Luther Perry III on October 11, 1966 in Mansfield, Ohio. He's a television and film actor who is most famous for his role as Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Luke Cunningham Wilson, born on September 21, 1971 in Dallas, Texas, is a film and television actor.
• Luke Ryan Jackson, born on November 6, 1981 in Eugene, Oregon, is a professional basketball player who plays small forward and shooting guard.
• Lucas (Luke) Ridnour was born on February 13, 1981 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He's a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
• Luke Theodore Walton, also known as "Wild Luke" was born on March 28, 1980 in San Diego, California. He plays the position of forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
• Luke Witte was born on October 19, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers (in the NBA) from 1973 to 1975.
• Luke Gale Allen was born on August 4, 1978 in Covington, Georgia. An outfielder, Allen has played in the Major Leagues, but is currently playing in the Mexican Leagues.
• Luke Benjamin Appling (4/2/1907 - 1/3/1991), a Hall of Fame baseball player, played for the Chicago White Sox from September 10, 1930 to October 1, 1950.
• Luke Easter (8/4/1915 - 3/29/1979) played in Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues.
• Luke Stephen Hudson, born on May 2, 1977 in Fountain Valley, California, is a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
• Kenneth Luke Prokopec, born on February 23, 1978, was a pitcher from September 14, 2000 to August 23, 2002. He played baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers and for the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Luke Brandon Scott is an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was born on June 25, 1978 in De Leon Springs, Florida.
• James Luke Walker was born on September 2, 1943 in DeKalb, Texas. He played baseball from 1965 to 1974.
• Luke Getsy, born on February 16, 1984 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL).
• Richard Luke Lawton, born on August 26, 1980, is a running back in the National Football League (NFL).
• Luke Campbell Donald, born on December 7, 1977 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, is a PGA tour golfer.
• Luke Richardson, born on March 26, 1969 in Ottawa, Canada, is a defensive player in the National Hockey League (NHL).

NOTES

Authors: Rich Kachold, Nicole Williams