Luc

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 18 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Luc is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name139K records spelled Luc22 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Netherlands, United States, Belgium, Canada

  Languages: English, Dutch, Western Frisian

  Also written Luec, Lục, Lực, Lüc, Lúc

• a separate given name12K records spelled Luc15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada

  Also written Lức, Lực, Lùc, Lúc, Lûc

• a separate given name5.2K records spelled Luc6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Belgium, Canada, United Kingdom

  Also written Lực, Luč, Lục, Lúč, Ḷuc

• Polish given name2.3K records spelled Luc3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, Belgium, United States, Canada

  Also written Lực, Lục

• Danish given name1.5K records spelled Luc11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, Belgium, Norway, United States

  Languages: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål

  Also written Lục, Lúc, Lūč

75 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Luc is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, French form of Luke/Lucius, from Latin lux, 'light'.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In French, From Latin Lucius or Lucas, linked to lux 'light'.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In English, from biblical Luc/Luke; earliest cited form Lewelin ap Luccas, 1292 (B13 227).

  as a name·Welsh Surnames

• In French, topographic name from Latin lucus ‘wood’, or a habitational name from places in Aveyron and Lozere named with this word.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In French, from the personal name Luc, a vernacular form of Lucas.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

RE INSEE — Fichier des prénoms (births by department), dpt 974 (Réunion) — 119 years between 1901–2023. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenarguesb. 1715FRFrench writer, a moralist (1715-1747)
• Luc Montagnierb. 1932FRFrench virologist and joint recipient of the Nobel Prize of Physiology or Medicine (2008)
• Alain Finkielkrautb. 1949FRnot in their usual nameFrench philosopher (born 1949)
• Richard Claydermanb. 1953FRnot in their usual nameFrench pianist
• Luc Dardenneb. 1954BEBelgian director, film producer and screenwriter
• Luc Barnierb. 1954FRFrench film editor (1954–2012)
• Luc Bessonb. 1959FRFrench filmmaker (born 1959)
• Luc Jacquetb. 1967FRFrench film director
• Luc Nilisb. 1967BEBelgian association football player
• Simon Mignoletb. 1988BEnot in their usual nameBelgian association football player (born 1988)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 803 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Luc?

We estimate roughly 72 thousand people bear Luc (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Luc have the most bearers?

We estimate about 65 thousand people bear Luc in France, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled luc.

How common is Luc compared with other names?

In France, Luc is the 217th most common given name of 711,207 given names recorded there.

Is Luc a male or female name?

Luc is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Luc mean?

Recorded meaning: From Latin lux, 'light'; associated with clarity and dawn.