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“army”
Language contexts for this entry: English, German, Finnish
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/ˈluːθə/ · English (Received Pronunciation)
01 / Meaning & origin
Luther is a masculine given name documented in English, German and Finnish. English Wiktionary traces it to German Luther. English Wikipedia gives the meaning “army”.
Meaning: “army”
From German Luther.
02 / Across borders
Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
16
countries in our sources
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5 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
Selected country
Statistics + language records
United States, 2025: 122 boys (rank 1459). Documented as a given name in English.
Explore United States4 of 16 countries
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
1880–2025 Spelling: Luther
Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.
Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.
| Year | Applications | Rank | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 260 | 64 | observed |
| 1881 | 249 | 65 | observed |
| 1882 | 284 | 64 | observed |
| 1883 | 229 | 69 | observed |
| 1884 | 273 | 69 | observed |
| 1885 | 259 | 70 | observed |
| 1886 | 253 | 71 | observed |
| 1887 | 267 | 63 | observed |
| 1888 | 275 | 74 | observed |
| 1889 | 270 | 71 | observed |
| 1890 | 253 | 71 | observed |
| 1891 | 236 | 71 | observed |
| 1892 | 295 | 70 | observed |
| 1893 | 271 | 70 | observed |
| 1894 | 285 | 71 | observed |
| 1895 | 269 | 73 | observed |
| 1896 | 265 | 74 | observed |
| 1897 | 271 | 71 | observed |
| 1898 | 275 | 76 | observed |
| 1899 | 248 | 81 | observed |
| 1900 | 316 | 82 | observed |
| 1901 | 244 | 79 | observed |
| 1902 | 266 | 81 | observed |
| 1903 | 265 | 80 | observed |
| 1904 | 286 | 82 | observed |
| 1905 | 308 | 79 | observed |
| 1906 | 262 | 89 | observed |
| 1907 | 280 | 91 | observed |
| 1908 | 292 | 91 | observed |
| 1909 | 347 | 86 | observed |
| 1910 | 383 | 87 | observed |
| 1911 | 394 | 100 | observed |
| 1912 | 664 | 114 | observed |
| 1913 | 747 | 116 | observed |
| 1914 | 991 | 114 | observed |
| 1915 | 1,198 | 115 | observed |
| 1916 | 1,287 | 116 | observed |
| 1917 | 1,304 | 116 | observed |
| 1918 | 1,416 | 118 | observed |
| 1919 | 1,378 | 117 | observed |
| 1920 | 1,379 | 123 | observed |
| 1921 | 1,453 | 123 | observed |
| 1922 | 1,477 | 118 | observed |
| 1923 | 1,333 | 126 | observed |
| 1924 | 1,396 | 127 | observed |
| 1925 | 1,333 | 132 | observed |
| 1926 | 1,295 | 135 | observed |
| 1927 | 1,258 | 139 | observed |
| 1928 | 1,153 | 145 | observed |
| 1929 | 1,120 | 145 | observed |
| 1930 | 1,109 | 148 | observed |
| 1931 | 958 | 156 | observed |
| 1932 | 961 | 157 | observed |
| 1933 | 878 | 162 | observed |
| 1934 | 862 | 167 | observed |
| 1935 | 832 | 169 | observed |
| 1936 | 804 | 171 | observed |
| 1937 | 864 | 169 | observed |
| 1938 | 827 | 175 | observed |
| 1939 | 765 | 184 | observed |
| 1940 | 824 | 177 | observed |
| 1941 | 843 | 179 | observed |
| 1942 | 858 | 185 | observed |
| 1943 | 843 | 190 | observed |
| 1944 | 853 | 185 | observed |
| 1945 | 708 | 203 | observed |
| 1946 | 810 | 211 | observed |
| 1947 | 826 | 222 | observed |
| 1948 | 831 | 225 | observed |
| 1949 | 745 | 237 | observed |
| 1950 | 761 | 237 | observed |
| 1951 | 683 | 256 | observed |
| 1952 | 741 | 251 | observed |
| 1953 | 687 | 266 | observed |
| 1954 | 670 | 273 | observed |
| 1955 | 696 | 269 | observed |
| 1956 | 612 | 301 | observed |
| 1957 | 584 | 316 | observed |
| 1958 | 523 | 336 | observed |
| 1959 | 522 | 339 | observed |
| 1960 | 528 | 338 | observed |
| 1961 | 491 | 359 | observed |
| 1962 | 460 | 376 | observed |
| 1963 | 443 | 379 | observed |
| 1964 | 449 | 369 | observed |
| 1965 | 395 | 394 | observed |
| 1966 | 364 | 394 | observed |
| 1967 | 285 | 447 | observed |
| 1968 | 319 | 430 | observed |
| 1969 | 335 | 432 | observed |
| 1970 | 345 | 440 | observed |
| 1971 | 316 | 457 | observed |
| 1972 | 293 | 458 | observed |
| 1973 | 248 | 497 | observed |
| 1974 | 242 | 509 | observed |
| 1975 | 236 | 524 | observed |
| 1976 | 244 | 513 | observed |
| 1977 | 234 | 543 | observed |
| 1978 | 220 | 565 | observed |
| 1979 | 237 | 558 | observed |
| 1980 | 206 | 608 | observed |
| 1981 | 231 | 562 | observed |
| 1982 | 228 | 567 | observed |
| 1983 | 213 | 578 | observed |
| 1984 | 181 | 638 | observed |
| 1985 | 172 | 678 | observed |
| 1986 | 185 | 659 | observed |
| 1987 | 155 | 732 | observed |
| 1988 | 173 | 711 | observed |
| 1989 | 190 | 715 | observed |
| 1990 | 176 | 766 | observed |
| 1991 | 145 | 874 | observed |
| 1992 | 136 | 906 | observed |
| 1993 | 147 | 880 | observed |
| 1994 | 126 | 988 | observed |
| 1995 | 105 | 1,107 | observed |
| 1996 | 102 | 1,155 | observed |
| 1997 | 101 | 1,182 | observed |
| 1998 | 107 | 1,170 | observed |
| 1999 | 88 | 1,356 | observed |
| 2000 | 103 | 1,267 | observed |
| 2001 | 90 | 1,390 | observed |
| 2002 | 87 | 1,459 | observed |
| 2003 | 81 | 1,561 | observed |
| 2004 | 70 | 1,785 | observed |
| 2005 | 99 | 1,471 | observed |
| 2006 | 91 | 1,596 | observed |
| 2007 | 85 | 1,741 | observed |
| 2008 | 85 | 1,760 | observed |
| 2009 | 79 | 1,852 | observed |
| 2010 | 73 | 1,924 | observed |
| 2011 | 79 | 1,812 | observed |
| 2012 | 80 | 1,832 | observed |
| 2013 | 87 | 1,695 | observed |
| 2014 | 101 | 1,564 | observed |
| 2015 | 99 | 1,613 | observed |
| 2016 | 99 | 1,618 | observed |
| 2017 | 99 | 1,612 | observed |
| 2018 | 113 | 1,513 | observed |
| 2019 | 128 | 1,386 | observed |
| 2020 | 112 | 1,503 | observed |
| 2021 | 132 | 1,383 | observed |
| 2022 | 112 | 1,574 | observed |
| 2023 | 118 | 1,501 | observed |
| 2024 | 119 | 1,503 | observed |
| 2025 | 122 | 1,459 | observed |
Statistics count the spelling “Luther” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.
Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.
Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0
Read our methodology04 / Through time
Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.
Luther— “famous warrior”
One of the uncles who killed the poor boys was Hlodhari, or Chlotachari, famous warrior, a terrible savage, but the last survivor of the brothers, and counted in the Frank history as Chlother, or Clotaire. Others of his race likewise were so baptized, and when the name passed to the Karlingen it was as Lothar. So was called the son of Louis le Debonnaire, whose portion, known at first as Lotharingen, came to be in Latin Lotharingia, and still remains Lorraine. Lothar did not…
One of the uncles who killed the poor boys was Hlodhari, or Chlotachari, famous warrior, a terrible savage, but the last survivor of the brothers, and counted in the Frank history as Chlother, or Clotaire. Others of his race likewise were so baptized, and when the name passed to the Karlingen it was as Lothar. So was called the son of Louis le Debonnaire, whose portion, known at first as Lotharingen, came to be in Latin Lotharingia, and still remains Lorraine. Lothar did not pass away from Germany; one emperor, after the separation, was so called; and it fell into many forms of surnames, in especial into Luther; and when Martin Luther had rendered this almost saintly to his countrymen, they over-hastily explained it by _lother_, pure; while the Bohemians found a similar word in their own tongue, meaning a swan. Oddly enough, Huss signified a goose, and the saying arose that the Bohemian goose had let fall a quill, which had been picked up by a swan of far more distant flight.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VI, Chapter V (The Karling Romances), Section VIII (Louis) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)
People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.
American Baptist minister and civil rights leader (1929–1968)
American botanist and horticulturist (1849–1926)
American R&B singer (1951–2005)
American neo-Nazi (1933–2002)
American actor (1903–1984)
A little story to keep
Take the story of Luther with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.
06 / Behind the facts
Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.
SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario first baby names, 1913–2023 (verified redistribution)
Government of Ontario; redistributed by helloharun · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Baby names in England and Wales: 2025 (boys and girls workbooks, Table 6: all published names)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
NISRA — First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland, 1997-2025 (full list)
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.
