Fun Facts About the Name Luba
- 583 babies named Luba: U.S. records list 583 babies given the name Luba from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Luba Mean?
Luba is a Slavic feminine name usually understood as "love" or "beloved." It comes from the Slavic root ljub- / lub-, which also underlies words such as Russian любить (lyubit'), "to love," and Polish lubić, "to like." In Russian, the given name Lyubov is a direct use of the noun любовь (lyubov), "love," and Luba (Люба) is a familiar form of Lyubov. Ukrainian and Belarusian use the same name as Люба (Liuba). In Polish, luba is a word for a beloved woman or dear one, and Luba can also be a short form of names such as Lubomira. The meaning is etymological rather than symbolic: the root itself denotes love or dearness. Related names like Lubomir and Ljubica share the root but have their own histories.
Luba Name History & Origins
The name Luba grew out of the Slavic root ljub- and is closely tied to the Russian name Lyubov. In Slavic Christian usage, Lyubov was a calque of the Greek virtue name Agape, "love"; the traditional story of Saint Sophia and her daughters Faith, Hope, and Love helped make Lyubov a familiar baptismal name in Russian Orthodox culture. Luba (or Lyuba) developed as an everyday diminutive of Lyubov, and in that use it spread wherever Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian were spoken. Ukrainian and Belarusian forms are usually transliterated Liuba, while English often uses Luba.
Luba also has an independent life as a standalone name in Polish. There it can be understood from the common Slavic word for a dear or beloved person, and it may also serve as a short form of compound names beginning with Lub-, such as Lubomira and Luboslava. In Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, the similar Yiddish name Liba, often glossed "beloved," was also used, and Luba appears in that setting as a related or overlapping form; because the Slavic and Yiddish names sound alike and share a meaning of love or dearness, their histories are sometimes difficult to separate.
How Popular is the Name Luba?
Luba has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1952. Its best rank was #2,174 in 1952.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,328 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #16,659 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #16,631 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #11,741 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #10,416 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,512 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #18,195 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #19,033 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #14,751 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #10,178 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #9,588 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #9,041 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #8,135 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #5,978 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #7,400 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #5,579 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #5,580 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #4,828 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #4,746 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,157 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #4,143 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #4,333 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #3,547 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1958 | #3,316 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1957 | #2,787 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1956 | #2,680 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 1955 | #2,906 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1954 | #2,751 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1953 | #2,404 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1952 | #2,174 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1951 | #2,760 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1950 | #2,307 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1948 | #5,694 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #4,333 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1942 | #5,046 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,710 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #4,642 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,696 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1937 | #3,657 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1936 | #3,001 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1935 | #4,030 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #4,688 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #4,599 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,456 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #4,153 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1930 | #4,335 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #2,669 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1928 | #2,893 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1927 | #3,190 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1926 | #3,427 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #3,892 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1924 | #4,808 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #3,038 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1922 | #2,697 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1921 | #3,066 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1920 | #3,811 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #2,211 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1918 | #2,250 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1917 | #3,942 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #3,305 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1914 | #2,361 | 10 | 0.0013% |
| 1913 | #2,690 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #3,233 | 5 | 0.0009% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Luba Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Luba's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Luba's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.