Luke (given name)

Luke () is a masculine given name and, less commonly, a surname. The name Luke is the English form and the diminutive of the Latin name Lucas. The exact etymology of the name is contested. According to Oxford's A Dictionary of First Names, the name comes from Greek Λουκᾶς (Loukas) and means "man from Lucania". The Roman poet Virgil also argued that Latin lucas/luca came from Lucanus, literally meaning "resident of Lucania", which modern etymology agrees with. It could also be derived from the Latin name Lucius and mean "the bright one" or "the one born at dawn." Another proposed etymology is derivation from Etruscan Lauchum (or Lauchme) meaning "king," which was more directly transferred into Latin as Lucumo. The best-known historical use of the name is in the Gospel of Luke, written around 80 to 90 AD. Luke the Evangelist, who is credited with the authorship of the Gospel of Luke, was a physician who lived around 30 to 130 AD. Luke is also credited with the Book of Acts in the Bible and is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in some of Paul's letters to first-century churches.