Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Flip

1 2

Boys name- Luca?

44 replies

LunaDreams · 14/08/2021 18:25

Hi all,

Am 33 weeks pregnant with our first child and know we are having a boy.

To give some context to this- I'm half Italian (with some Irish thrown in!), and my partner is Bahraini (but with Persian ancestry). We live in England.

We have decided on middle and last names which cover my partners heritage but still struggling a bit with first names.

We were both set on Leo partly as we loved the name but also has it nodded to my Italian side. Unfortunately one of our best friends has just named her son Leo (she didn't know it was our front runner) so it is just no longer an option for us.

I came across the name Luca yesterday which we both really like although I'm worried it will get shortened to Luke which I do not like at all (no offence to anyone)

Does anyone know or have a son called Luca in the UK and if so what is their experience of that name?

OP posts:

Report

toastofthetown · 14/08/2021 18:36

Luca is a popular name: top 50 and still rising. I wouldn't expect that it would be shortened Luke. None of the Lucas I know are shortened. I suppose it's not completely out of the realm of possibility but it's not like trying to avoid Thomas being shortened to Tom.

itsgettingwierd · 14/08/2021 18:51

I've heard it twice. One I know and one that we met today at a museum.

He was the sweetest most curious little boy and very happy and smiley.

He was 8n fact so endearing it's why I remembered his name and thought how lovely it was.

Arriettyborrower · 14/08/2021 19:04

I have an 11 yro Luca, he is only ever Luca (although sometimes Zuka or bazooka at home)
He has been the only one in his school, I think it was ranked 75 the year he was registered. Have met a few other, younger ones since.
It’s a lovely, easy name, go for it!

Zigzag77 · 14/08/2021 19:12

My 6 year old is a Luca and it’s never been anything other than Luca. I am biased of course, but I love the name!

OrangeAndYellowAndBlue · 14/08/2021 19:17

Lovely name, and such a nice new Pixar film recently too!

I also really like Lucas but if you're Italian Luca is particularly nice.

DariaMorgendorffer · 14/08/2021 19:35

Lovely name

LunaDreams · 14/08/2021 19:45

Thanks all. Your responses are all very encouraging!

It's now down to Finn or Luca....Will wait until he arrives to see what he looks like

OP posts:

Arriettyborrower · 14/08/2021 20:08

Ahh I had Finn on the list too ☺️

FartnissEverbeans · 14/08/2021 20:20

I’ve taught a few. It’s a lovely name

Ingloriousbasterd · 14/08/2021 20:21

Love Luca x

TheSunIsStillShining · 14/08/2021 20:43

Luca was on our list as well. (We are Hungarian and our son was born there, so diff backstory. no other heritage to consider)

But in hungarian Luca, pronounced with a c - as in cease, is a girls name. But we wanted that can be said anywhere in Europe easily. So went for Mirko.
FF 6 years and moving to the UK> noone can say his name correctly!!! grrr. and he now has a Marko classmate (italian kid) and they never know who is being called on.

basically no matter what you think, plan ahead, ppl won't be able to say it properly anyway, so just go with something you love :)

cookofcastamar · 14/08/2021 20:53

@LunaDreams Luca is a fab name in its own right and will not be shortened to Luke maybe Luc. With Finn I would use Finlay and shorten to Finn. But Luca gets my vote over Finn.

@TheSunIsStillShining that's so funny 😂 different places eh! My kids names are quite popular in the US but not in Ireland. When I named my third a lot of people had never heard of it and it is so popular in the US and North America. Two of my three kids names in the year they were born had less than 10 babies named those names. Third is only 12 weeks old so we'll find out next year.

TheSunIsStillShining · 14/08/2021 21:02

We had only 5 babies named Mirko in the year he was born in the whole country :)
But it is a very popular name in Serbia/Croatis, so everyone always asks is we are from there. close enough :)

Azilliondegrees · 14/08/2021 21:05

Great name! Will likely be a little more popular since the Pixar film but probably not overwhelmingly so. Leo is pretty common these days, I prefer Luca

Katefoster · 14/08/2021 22:40

My cousins called Luca he's in his late 30s and it's never ever been shortened to Luca

Katefoster · 14/08/2021 22:41

I really like it

goldenrachita · 15/08/2021 01:28

It will fit into the UK well. Luca is a top 20 name now and every young Luca I know has no Italian ancestry at all. For that reason I'd go with something a bit more original if you are trying to honour your roots in an obvious way.

SapphosRock · 15/08/2021 06:20

Gorgeous name, I have a Luca and he has had lots of compliments on his name.

Very unlikely he will be called Luke but it may be mistaken for Lucas.

Not sure if you know but it's the most popular boys name in Italy, like Harry or Oliver.

cultkid · 15/08/2021 06:31

My son is called Luca and I am q
1/2 Irish 1/4 Italian and 1/4 Pakistani

My little Luca is blonde
He is amazing and he is 2 years old

Haven't met another Luca yet

It's a very gentle name and it's very charming in my opinion

manhattenrain · 15/08/2021 06:37

I know two Luca's and as far as I know neither have ever been shortened to Luke. Great name.

spartanthehorse · 15/08/2021 06:41

I really like it.

It's quite popular now. I know a few Lucas (no Italian heritage), all under 5.

CutePanda · 15/08/2021 07:03

Luca is a very popular name for primary school aged boys. It’s kind of like the male equivalent of Ava. It’s only 2 syllables so I doubt many people would shorten it to Luke.

jessnoah · 15/08/2021 07:14

I have a 15 month old Luca (after I fell in love with Lucca while visiting there) and am considering Leo for my next son (30 weeks pregnant). Lovely names and I get lots of compliments on Luca. My friend's son is called Luca, he's half Italian too. I'm worried the film is popularising it though!

LunaDreams · 15/08/2021 09:54

@cultkid @jessnoah @SapphosRock @Zigzag77 @arriettyborrower lovely to hear about all your Luca's

Have you ever found that people struggle to pronounce it when they've only even seen it written first?

I think if you've heard the name before you would be fine but just wondering how it gets read out (I.e. in school, on forms etc) if the person has never come across it before

OP posts:

Zigzag77 · 15/08/2021 10:00

No, never had any issues with people not knowing how to pronounce it tbh. I don’t see how people could get it wrong, it’s a fairly straightforward name?

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.