Lucas

Lucas is the Latin form of Luke, rooted in Lucania, the ancient region that curls around the heel of the Italian boot, and the name has carried a faint Mediterranean light ever since — luc, Latin for light, glowing somewhere just beneath the surface. Saint Luke, the gospel writer and physician traditionally credited with painting the first icon of the Virgin Mary, gave the name its first burst of Western reach; medieval painters' guilds adopted him as their patron, and Lucas became a steady choice across Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

The German softening, Lukas, traveled north through Lutheran Europe; the Spanish version dropped the k and kept the rhythm. Lucas entered the American top 100 in 1993 and has been climbing ever since, currently sitting in the top ten. The name's modern face is partly Lucas Black, partly Lucas Hedges (the actor with the Manchester by the Sea Oscar nomination), partly the unforgotten teen drama character Lucas Scott from One Tree Hill, and partly George Lucas — though the surname-as-name connection has not, oddly, hurt its appeal.

Two syllables that march cleanly — LU-cas — and a hard final s that gives the name a clean, almost European clip. Nicknames branch usefully: Luke for the very classic, Luca for the Italian, Lou for the playful. The name pairs beautifully with both classic and modern siblings (Lucas and Henry, Lucas and Mia, Lucas and Stella, Lucas and Wren). Sun-warmed, faintly Roman, modern without being trendy. The kind of boy who is good at math and good at parties, and who somehow manages to read four books at once and remember each one.