Lucas is the Latin form of the Greek Loukas and means "from Lucania", a region of southern Italy; folk tradition also links it to lux, "light". Luke the Evangelist made the name a Christian classic, and Lucas is its form in Spanish, Portuguese and French as well as the current English favorite. In the United States Lucas climbed from number 83 in 2000 into the top 10 in 2018 and ranks tenth in 2025.