Given name & surname
Luce
“surrounded by light”
Luce is a variant of Lucian. One Latin interpretation is “surrounded by light.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Luce is a variant of Lucian. One Latin interpretation is “surrounded by light.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Luce is a variant of Lucian. A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1922. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Luce through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 38
- 0 boys · 38 girls
- Most popular year
- 2020
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #14,233 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 14,233 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 634 as a first name in 2020; 9,158 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Luce’s family of names
Luce has a related form in Lucy. In Italian usage, Luce has a related form in Lucia. In French usage, Luce has a conventional equivalent in the German form Lucia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Luce has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Luce
- Luce IrigarayBelgian-born French feminist, philosopher, linguist, psycholinguist, psychoanalyst and cultural theorist (born 1930)
- SelenItalian actress and television personalityborn 1966
- Luce FabbriItalo-Uruguayan anarchist intellectual, writer and teacher (1908–2000)
- Luce DouadyFrench climber2003–2020
- Luce d'EramoItalian writer (1925-2001)
- Luce BaillargeonOlympic judokaborn 1977
- Luce DufaultCanadian singerborn 1966
- Luce GuilbeaultCanadian actress (1935–1991)
Characters named Luce: Luce (mascot of the 2025 Jubilee).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Luce, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Luna
“the moon”
>99% girls
Luciana
“the luminous one”
>99% girls
Leia
“child of heaven; adorned with heavenly flowers” · “languid”
>99% girls
Saige
“wise one; type of spice”
8% boys · 92% girls
Lilith
“woman of the night”
>99% girls
Esme
“one who is esteemed”
>99% girls
Elle
“shining light” · “the shining light”
>99% girls
Lia
“referring to a horn” · “languid”
>99% girls