Name day
Luke: Name Day and Patron Saint
Luke keeps the name day on 18 October, or 31 October on the Old Calendar: the feast of St Luke the Evangelist.
- Patron saint
- St Luke the Evangelist
- New Calendar
- 18 October
- Old Calendar
- 31 October
- Next name day
- 18 October 2026 (New Calendar) · 31 October 2026 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of October
The patron saint: St Luke the Evangelist
Kept on 18 October, or 31 October on the Old Calendar · Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke
The physician who wrote the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles and, by tradition, painted the first icons of the Mother of God.
What the faithful pray for
- physicians and the sick
- iconographers and painters
- the healing of the eyes
Other saints named Luke
St Luke of Crimea
Kept on 11 June · Repose
Valentin Voyno-Yasenetsky was born in Kerch in 1877 and chose medicine over art out of a longing to relieve human suffering. A brilliant young surgeon, he resolved to be “a doctor for the poor,” serving in field hospitals and country clinics, and his Essays on Purulent Surgery became a classic of Russian medicine. Widowed during the Revolution, he was ordained and became Bishop Luke, and the Soviet authorities answered with arrest, prison and exile again and again. Wherever he was sent he went on operating, praying before every incision and saving lives in Siberian exile. In 1946 he received the Stalin Prize for his surgical work while serving as Archbishop of Crimea, and he kept healing and preaching even after he went blind. He reposed on June 11, 1961. Orthodox Christians pray to Saint Luke the Surgeon before operations and in serious illness, and doctors of Russia and Greece honor him as their own heavenly colleague.
What the faithful pray for
- a successful operation and a skilled hand for the surgeon
- healing of physical and mental illness
- the sick with cancer
- doctors, that they may heal with wisdom and mercy
- unshakable Orthodox faith
- forgiveness of sins and salvation
- comfort and strength in long illness
- courage to confess the faith under pressure
Protection
- patients on the operating table
- the seriously ill from despair
- doctors from pride and carelessness
- confessors of the faith in persecution
Miracles
Luke in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Luke, Lucas, Luca, Lukas, Loukas, Luka, Lucius | Luc |
| Greek | Λουκάς, Loukas | |
| Russian | Лука, Luka | Лукаша, Лукьян, Lukyan |
| Ukrainian | Лука | |
| Bulgarian | Лука | |
| Serbian | Лука, Luka | |
| Romanian | Luca | |
| Georgian | ლუკა, Luka | |
| Arabic | لوقا, Louka, Luqa | |
| Spanish | Lucas | |
| Italian | Luca | |
| Polish | Łukasz |
An icon for Luke
We don't carry an icon of St Luke the Evangelist yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychSt Mark the Apostle & Guardian Angel
Another apostle$99$69
Folding diptychSt Matthew the Apostle & Guardian Angel
Another apostle$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Luke
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Questions
When is Luke’s name day?
Luke keeps the name day on 18 October on the New Calendar and on 31 October on the Old Calendar, the feast of St Luke the Evangelist.
Who is the patron saint of Luke?
St Luke the Evangelist. The physician who wrote the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles and, by tradition, painted the first icons of the Mother of God.
How is Luke written in other languages?
Greek: Λουκάς (Loukas), Russian: Лука (Luka), Ukrainian: Лука, Bulgarian: Лука, Serbian: Лука (Luka) and Romanian: Luca. Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Luke?
We don’t carry an icon of St Luke the Evangelist yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name
Sources
- Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol (OCA)
- Святитель Лука (Войно-Ясенецкий) (Азбука веры)
- Чудесные исцеления от святого врача (Российская газета)
- Молитвы об исцелении при онкологическом заболевании (Азбука веры)
- Greek and Russian hierarchs and faithful come together to celebrate St. Luke of Simferopol (OrthoChristian)
- eortologio.net, Greek name-day calendar (Εορτολόγιο)
- azbyka.ru, Месяцеслов (the Russian Church's calendar of saints by name)