Luan
Masculine · “lion (Albanian)”
Luan is given to both — 1,107 boys and 515 girls since 1880. See Luan as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Luan is a name several languages reached on their own. In Albanian it is the everyday word for a lion and a familiar boys' name; in Brazil it is an ordinary boys' name carried by the singer Luan Santana; and it also appears as a Chinese family name.
How old is the name Luan?
Luan first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Luan is a kid of about 6 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,100 people named Luan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Luan most popular?
Luan peaked in 2025, reaching #1217 nationally. Today it ranks #1217, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Luan
In Albanian, luan names the lion outright, and the word is given as a name to boys across the Albanian-speaking Balkans and among Albanian emigrants. Brazil took up Luan separately, and the sertanejo singer Luan Santana made it one of the best-known names in Brazilian popular music. The American record gathers these roads under one spelling, which is why the name leans to boys but is not given only to them.
Meaningscholars disagree
lion (Albanian)
In Albanian, luan means 'lion,' and the name is common among Albanians in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. The Brazilian name has no settled source. Chinese uses Luan as a surname with meanings of its own. Which road an American Luan took depends on the family.
Pronouncing Luan
loo-AHN
Albanian and Brazilian Portuguese both stress the second syllable; Portuguese nasalizes the ending slightly. English speakers often say LOO-ahn.
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
- 1975
- Most boys named
- 2025166 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1217reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +49.5%166 in 2025, from 111
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.
Luan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Luan in Albanian — same name
- Luan in Portuguese (Brazil) — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, California, Florida.
Luans among us
people named Luan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 10,290 born in 2025 was named Luan
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 Demetrio test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Luan's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Demetrio climbed just as high around 1908, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Demetrio's path sketches the road Luan is walking now.
Luan is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Luan is headed
Luan looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 48% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium 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.
Luan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Luan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A real Albanian word with a clear, strong meaning.
- Four letters, said much the same way in several languages.
- Familiar in Albanian and Brazilian families without being common in the United States.
- It sounds almost like Luann and Luanne, which are girls' names in English, so a boy called Luan will sometimes be taken for a girl on paper.
- A girl called Luan will often be assumed to be a misspelled Luann; the name leans to boys without settling there.
- Stress varies between loo-AHN and LOO-ahn, so the family's own way of saying it will need stating.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Luan to the vote.
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What they receive
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Luan
Masculine · #1217 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Luans 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 Luan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Luan in 2025?
- Luan ranks #1217 among US boy names in 2025, with 166 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Luan?
- About 1 in every 10,290 US boys born in 2025 was named Luan — 166 in all.
- Will my child share the name Luan with classmates?
- Luan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Luan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Syed#1217 · Jahziel#1217 · Draven#1217 · Gino#1217 · Kolby#1222 · Wiley#1222 · Bilal#1212 · Harlow#1212
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Luan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Luan and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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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