Thirty years of Luca
Luca in numbers
Luca is still climbing: from 83 boys in 1996 to 3,266 in 2025, its highest count so far. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2020 and 2023, from 1,323 to 3,195. It ranked 300th in 1996 and reached 4th in 2025, its best place so far. On average it was given to 133 boys a year in the late 1990s, 676 in the 2000s, 1,127 in the 2010s and 2,505 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
What the official statisticians said
“The release of Disney tale "Luca" in 2022 may have increased interest in the name”
National Records of Scotland, on 2024 births in Scotland. Read the source
“Last year’s highly streamed coming-of-age tale "Luca" could have increased interest in the name”
ONS, on 2021 births in England and Wales. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+16%2,814 to 3,266
- 5 years+147%1,323 to 3,266
- 10 years+180%1,167 to 3,266
- 20 years+317%784 to 3,266
- Since 1996×3983 to 3,266
- Total, 1996 to 202533,589boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 4 · ONS · 2,814 in 2024
Rank 2 · NRS · 255 in 2024
Rank 8 · NISRA · 109 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 3,266 | +16% | 1 in 92 |
| 2024 | 7 | 2,814 | -12% | 1 in 108 |
| 2023 | 7 | 3,195 | +22% | 1 in 95 |
| 2022 | 12 | 2,625 | +45% | 1 in 118 |
| 2021 | 28 | 1,807 | +37% | 1 in 177 |
| 2020 | 45 | 1,323 | +1% | 1 in 238 |
| 2019 | 49 | 1,306 | +1% | 1 in 252 |
| 2018 | 51 | 1,291 | +10% | 1 in 261 |
| 2017 | 55 | 1,171 | +2% | 1 in 297 |
| 2016 * | 52 | 1,144 | -2% | 1 in 311 |
| 2015 | 53 | 1,167 | +6% | 1 in 307 |
| 2014 | 58 | 1,101 | +6% | 1 in 324 |
| 2013 | 60 | 1,034 | -7% | 1 in 347 |
| 2012 | 61 | 1,117 | +14% | 1 in 335 |
| 2011 | 64 | 982 | +3% | 1 in 378 |
| 2010 | 70 | 953 | +2% | 1 in 389 |
| 2009 | 72 | 936 | -4% | 1 in 387 |
| 2008 | 74 | 974 | -3% | 1 in 373 |
| 2007 | 72 | 999 | +21% | 1 in 355 |
| 2006 | 81 | 826 | +5% | 1 in 415 |
| 2005 | 83 | 784 | +34% | 1 in 422 |
| 2004 | 95 | 586 | +9% | 1 in 560 |
| 2003 | 98 | 536 | +13% | 1 in 594 |
| 2002 | 104 | 473 | +26% | 1 in 647 |
| 2001 | =117 | 374 | +38% | 1 in 814 |
| 2000 | =139 | 272 | +42% | 1 in 1,138 |
| 1999 | 179 | 191 | +26% | 1 in 1,671 |
| 1998 | =208 | 152 | +42% | 1 in 2,144 |
| 1997 | =263 | 107 | +29% | 1 in 3,080 |
| 1996 | =300 | 83 | 1 in 4,018 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Luca
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Luca is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Luca is in our lists: Gender-neutral baby names, Short baby names.