Luka

Luka is the Russian and Slavic spelling of Lucas (Latin) from the Greek word “Loukas” meaning “man from Lucania”, an ancient district of southern Italy. The Latin Lucas was often used in the Middle Ages as the official written form for the more colloquial “Luke.” During the post-classical era, Lucas was more commonly used as a surname, rather than a first name. In modern times the name became more anglicized and popular as a given name with the publication of the Authorized Version of the New Testament which used “Lucas” as the preferred spelling for Luke thus giving it a more “learned” sound. The “Luke” names mainly owe their popularity to the author of the third gospel of the New Testament, The Gospel According to Luke (written in the first century A.D.). Luke was a resident of Antioch (present day Turkey/Syria); he was a physician and colleague/convert of Saint Paul. Luke’s gospel is in the form of a letter that records “an orderly account” of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus from the perspective of a historian. Luke’s portrayal deals mainly with Christ as savior of the world (particularly the poor, downtrodden and outcasts). His stories focus on Jesus’ compassion for all people as evidenced by the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son (both of which appear in Luke’s gospel). The New Testament’s Book of Acts is also attributed to Luke’s authorship. All four gospel authors (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) have been lending their names to scores of baby boys throughout the Western World for two millennia. The Slavic form of Luka is especially popular within southern Slavic states. It happens to be the #1 name for baby boys in Croatia and Slovenia. Luka is also high ranking in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The spelling of Luka also does well in Belgium and France.