US rank #1496 Boys' name Peak 1922 66,862 births

Luther — #1496 US boys' name

66,862 babies named Luther in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s26191890s26681900s28661910s97621920s131971930s88601940s81391950s64801960s40691970s26151980s19341990s12332000s8692010s9582020s593
#1496
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 89% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Luther was born in this single decade.

1922
Single peak year

1,477 babies were named Luther in 1922 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Luther

The Social Security Administration has registered 66,862 babies named Luther between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Luther currently holds the #1496 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1922, when 1,477 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Luther performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 13,197 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Luther shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 5,067 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Georgia. In total, SSA state-level files list Luther in 42 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Luther in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 66,862 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Luther at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

66,862

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1922

1,477 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#1,496

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Luther popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1922)
1,477
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 260

Luther popularity over time — girls

435 total births recorded since 1907 (Luther as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 435 births
0510152025 196919531944193819311925191919131907 5

Luther by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
13,197 births that decade — 20% of Luther's all-time total
1880s26191890s26681900s28661910s97621920s131971930s88601940s81391950s64801960s40691970s26151980s19341990s12332000s8692010s9582020s593

Luther by state

Where Luther concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Luther
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
5,067 7.6%
#2 Texas
4,383 6.6%
#3 Georgia
4,259 6.4%
#4 South Carolina
3,565 5.3%
#5 Alabama
3,294 4.9%
#6 Tennessee
3,282 4.9%
#7 Mississippi
3,164 4.7%
#8 Virginia
3,057 4.6%
North Carolina share of Luther's total US births 7.6%
Even split

5,067 of 66,862 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.

Luther appears in 42 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Luther?
66,862 babies have been named Luther since 1880. It currently ranks #1496 among boys. The peak year was 1922 with 1,477 births.
When was Luther most popular?
Luther was most popular in the 1920s decade with 13,197 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Luther most popular?
The top states for the name Luther are North Carolina (5,067 births), Texas (4,383 births), Georgia (4,259 births).
How long has the name Luther been used?
Luther has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Luther?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Luthur, Lute, Lutrell, Luthor, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.