Luther is a German surname from the Germanic Liuthari, formed from liut, "people", and heri, "army", and usually explained as "army of the people" or "people's warrior". It became a given name among Protestants in honor of Martin Luther, and in America it carries the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and singer Luther Vandross. Luther has stayed just outside the US top 1000 since the 2000s, ranking 1268 in 2000 and 1464 in 2025.