Meaning and origin
The last name Lucas traces its origin to the Latin name "Lucas," derived from the Greek name "Loukas," meaning "man from Lucania" or "from Lucania," a region in southern Italy. The name gained popularity during the early Christian era due to the biblical figure Saint Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Over time, the name spread across Europe and later reached English-speaking countries, where it became a common surname.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#286
Lucas was the 286th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 107,690 people, about 37 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Lucas
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Lucas is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.