Lucca is the place-name spelling of Luca — the Tuscan city rather than the given name that's currently storming the top 100. That single extra C changes how the name reads: slightly more unusual, more obviously Italian, and positioned just outside the mainstream in a way some parents actively prefer.
The City and the Name
Lucca is an ancient Tuscan city in northern Italy — Etruscan in origin, later a Roman colony, famous for its intact Renaissance walls and as Puccini's birthplace. Using the city's spelling turns Lucca into a place name, similar to how Florence or Milan function as names with geographic anchors. The given name Luca comes from Latin Lucas, meaning "of Lucania" or connected to the Greek leukos (light). Lucca borrows that meaning while adding the topographic layer. SSA data: 7,128 total bearers, 2020 peak, current rank #524.
One Letter Separates Two Names
Luca currently ranks in the U.S. top 50 and climbing. Lucca is rank 524. That gap represents the value parents place on the double-C distinction — either intentionally signaling Italian heritage, honoring the Tuscan city, or simply differentiating from the more common form. For parents who love the sound of Luca but want something less likely to be shared with three classmates, Lucca solves the problem while keeping the phonetics identical.
The Italian Context
In Italy, Luca is the standard spelling; Lucca is recognized as the city name, not typically a person's name. Using Lucca as a given name is primarily an American move — honoring Italian culture through topography. It works cleanly alongside other Italian-register names like Elio, Leo, or Camilo. For families with a Tuscany connection or Puccini love, the city spelling carries a story that the standard form doesn't.