Lua
Feminine · “moon”
Lua is the moon in Portuguese, and Luna in Roman religion had a darker sister called Lua — the goddess soldiers dedicated captured weapons to.
How old is the name Lua?
Lua first appears in US birth records in 1910 — 115 years ago. The typical Lua is a kid of about 5 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,100 people named Lua are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lua most popular?
Lua peaked in 2023, reaching #1780 nationally. Today it ranks #2076, 296 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From luna to Lua
The story of Lua
Roman generals dedicated captured arms to Lua Mater and burned them, an obscure rite Livy records. Separately, Portuguese lua is simply the moon, from the Latin luna. The name entered use through the Portuguese and Galician word and appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
moon
From the Portuguese lua, 'moon', from the Latin luna, from a root meaning 'to shine' that also gives lux, 'light', and the English 'lucid'. A separate Roman goddess Lua received captured enemy weapons for burning. The Portuguese word is ordinary and undisputed.
How the name formed
- luna
- lua
- Lua
Related forms: Lua · Lúa · Luna
Pronouncing Lua
LOO-ah
Two syllables, stress on the first. Portuguese gives the final a a lighter value than English does.
Nicknames for Lua
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1910
- Most girls named
- 2023114 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1780reached in 2023
- Change vs 2024
- −9.1%90 in 2025, from 99
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Lua in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lua in Portuguese — same name
- Lúa in Galician — same name
- Luna in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Luas among us
people named Lua are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 17,859 born in 2025 was named Lua
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sahar test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Lua's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sahar climbed just as high around 1996, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sahar's path sketches the road Lua is walking now.
Lua sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Lua is headed
Lua should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Lua beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Lua in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The moon meaning is transparent and needs no explanation.
- That lucid, lux and luna share a shining root is a first-rate etymology.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- Luna is far commoner in American use.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
- It reads as specifically Portuguese.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Lua
Feminine · #2076 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Luas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Lua are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lua in 2025?
- Lua ranks #2076 among US girl names in 2025, with 90 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Lua?
- About 1 in every 17,859 US girls born in 2025 was named Lua — 90 in all.
- Will my child share the name Lua with classmates?
- Lua will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Lua
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Everlynn#2076 · Scotland#2076 · Iylah#2076 · Blayke#2076 · Acelynn#2076 · Lilyann#2076 · Taliah#2076 · Shaindy#2076
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lua? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lua and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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