Given name & surname · also Spanish, Latin
Luz
“refers to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Light”·“of the moon”
Luz is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “refers to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Light” and “of the moon”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Original SpanishLucha
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “refers to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Light” and “of the moon”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Luz through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 28,805
- 931 boys · 27,874 girls
- Most popular year
- 1999
- 586 babies
- 2025
- 324
- #839 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +16%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 1% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 324 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 839 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 17.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 573 in 1999. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (66). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 90,901 as a first name in 2020; 1,891 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.
Luz’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Luz has a diminutive in LUCHA. Luz has a related form in Lucy. Luz has a related form in Luzelena.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Luchadiminutive · Spanish
- Lucyvariant
- Ludwigvariant · German
- Luzelenavariant
- Luzianvariant
- Luzianavariant
- Lutzvariant · German
- Luzettavariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Luz
- Luz CasalSpanish singerborn 1958
- Luz Marina ZuluagaColombian beauty queen (1938–2015)
- Luz Elena GonzálezMexican actressborn 1974
- Luz María Aguilaractressborn 1935
- Luz GabásSpanish novelistborn 1968
- Luz MachadoVenezuelan writer1916–1999
- Luz Pozo GarzaSpanish poet1922–2020
- Luz María JerezMexican actress (born 1958)
- Luz SalgadoPeruvian politicianborn 1949
Characters named Luz: Luz Noceda (The Owl House).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Luz, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lupita
“from the valley of wolves” · “from the river of the wolf”
>99% girls
Guadalupe
“from the valley of wolves” · “from the river of the wolf”
13% boys · 87% girls
Marina
“woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Coral
Coral is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling the semiprecious sea growth; from the reef.”
>99% girls
Estrella
“star of the sea” · “resembling a star”
>99% girls
Delaney
“the dark challenger” · “from the elder-tree grove”
1% boys · 99% girls
Topaz
“resembling a yellow gemstone”
2% boys · 98% girls
Seda
“voices of the forest”
>99% girls