Girl · #1,890 in 2026

Lua

Name: Popularity of the name Lua in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Lua, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Lua is a lightweight, high-level, multi-paradigm programming language designed mainly for embedded use in applications. Lua is cross-platform software, since the interpreter of compiled bytecode is written in ANSI C, and Lua has a relatively simple C application programming interface (API) to embed it into applications.

Current Rank

#1,890

Peak Rank

#1,780 (2023)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

+27%

1910

First Year

2026

Last Year

2023

Peak Year

#1780

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Lua

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

Lua was created in 1993 by Roberto Ierusalimschy , Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo, and Waldemar Celes, members of the Computer Graphics Technology Group ( Tecgraf ) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro , in Brazil . From 1977 until 1992, Brazil had a policy of strong trade barriers (called a market reserve) for computer hardware and software , believing that Brazil could and should produce its own hardware and software. In that climate, Tecgraf's clients could not afford, either politically or financially, to buy customized software from abroad; under the market reserve, client

The Story of Lua

Lua first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1910, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 114 Luas were born — ranking #1,780 that year. As of 2026, Lua ranks #1,890 for baby girls with 106 births, rising sharply (+27% over the past five years). In total, more than 1K Luas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Lua

Phonetically similar names — useful when Lua is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lua

What does the name Lua mean?

How popular is Lua in 2026?

In 2026, Lua ranks #1,890 among girls' names in the U.S., with 106 babies given the name that year.

When was Lua most popular?

Lua reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #1,780 that year with 114 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Lua most popular?

Lua has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Washington. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lua.

Is Lua a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Lua is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Lua?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lua include Jerusha, Wenona, Angelene. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Lua

Lua is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1910 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Lua's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #1,780. Use the chart and map above to compare Lua's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.