How Many People Are Named Luther?
An estimated 22,977 people in the United States have the first name Luther. It is predominantly male (99.4%). The average bearer is 62 years old, and Luther peaked in popularity in 1922 with 1,490 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Luther as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Luther paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Luther is overwhelmingly male, 435 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Luther has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
22,977
About 1 in 14,917 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.4% confidence
Average Age
62
years old
Peak Year
1922
1,490 births
Total Registered
67,297
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Luther
Luther is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 67,297 total births registered, 99.4% were male.
Luther as a male name
Ranked #1,499 in 2024
119 male births in 2024
Peak: 1922 (1,477 births)
Luther as a female name
Ranked #8,141 in 1969
5 female births in 1969
Peak: 1926 (24 births)
Luther: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Luther span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 13,364 babies were registered. Luther has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Luther by Decade
How has Luther tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,619 | 2,619 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 2,668 | 2,668 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 2,871 | 2,866 | 5 | |
| 1910s | 9,828 | 9,762 | 66 | |
| 1920s | 13,364 | 13,197 | 167 | |
| 1930s | 8,948 | 8,860 | 88 | |
| 1940s | 8,191 | 8,139 | 52 | |
| 1950s | 6,521 | 6,480 | 41 | |
| 1960s | 4,085 | 4,069 | 16 | |
| 1970s | 2,615 | 2,615 | 0 | |
| 1980s | 1,934 | 1,934 | 0 | |
| 1990s | 1,233 | 1,233 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 869 | 869 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 958 | 958 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 593 | 593 | 0 | |
Luther by State
Birth registrations for Luther span all 42 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in North Carolina, Texas, Georgia. The lowest are in Montana, Idaho, North Dakota. On average, about 1,286 Luthers were registered per state.
Luther + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Luther as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Luther
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Luther: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luther?
We estimate approximately 22,977 people named Luther are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 14,917 Americans share this first name.
Is Luther a common name?
Luther is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 67,297 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Luther most popular?
Luther reached peak popularity in 1922, when 1,490 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Luther is approximately 62 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Luther a male name?
Luther is predominantly male. 99.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Luther Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Luther Smith, Luther Johnson, Luther Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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