Boys' name · since 1880
Luther
66,986 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.
- #418 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,459 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 66,986
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Luther is the #1459 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 66,986 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Luther has been recorded 66,986 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1459 nationally and more common than 90% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #418 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,459 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 66,986 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Luther ranks #418 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,459 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 66,986 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #418 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,459 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 66,986
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Luther's 66,986 recorded births place it above 99.08% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
42 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Luther compares
66,986 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Luther's all-time total is 182x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Luther | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 66,986 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,477 | 34 | 22,252 |
Luther's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Luther's full recorded timeline at 1953, 25% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 75% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2004, with just 70 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1922 peak of 1,477 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Luther popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 1,477
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Luther popularity over time - girls
435 total births recorded since 1907 (Luther as girls' name)
Luther by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (13,197 births, 20% of the file).
1920s was Luther's strongest decade.
13,197 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Luther births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,619
1880s
2,619 births
- 1890s 2,668
1890s
2,668 births
- 1900s 2,866
1900s
2,866 births
- 1910s
1910s
9,762 births
- 1920s
1920s
13,197 births
- 1930s
1930s
8,860 births
- 1940s
1940s
8,141 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,479 births
- 1960s 4,069
1960s
4,069 births
- 1970s 2,615
1970s
2,615 births
- 1980s 1,934
1980s
1,934 births
- 1990s 1,233
1990s
1,233 births
- 2000s 870
2000s
870 births
- 2010s 958
2010s
958 births
- 2020s 715
2020s
715 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 13,197 births (20% of all-time use).
How Luther compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Luther's total volume
Luther by state
Where Luther concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 5,067 | 7.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,393 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 4,259 | 6.4% |
| #4 | South Carolina | | 3,565 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 3,295 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 3,282 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 3,164 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 3,057 | 4.6% |
5,067 of 66,986 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? ▼
Where does Luther sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Luther most popular? ▼
Where is Luther most popular? ▼
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What to do with Luther's data
- Luther's decade-level peak was the 1920s (13,197 total births); usage has since declined to 715 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Luthers (5,067 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Luther
Nearby Names Like Luther
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Luther
Compare Luther side by side: Luther vs Luthur Luther vs Lute Luther vs Luthor
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Luther
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Luther: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Luther draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.