Luka Dončić's influence reaches far beyond basketball. Photo: Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
Luka, Kai and Maverick were among the top 100 names for boys in Texas in 2024, according to the Social Security Administration.
The big picture: Liam, Noah, Olivia and Emma were the top boy and girl names in Texas last year, in line with the rest of the country.
Case in point: While it's impossible to know the inspiration behind each name, the Social Security Administration's historical data offers some clues.
Luka started appearing as a top 100 name in Texas during the 2020-21 NBA season, when Luka Dončić became the first NBA player in 22 years to be selected to the All-NBA First Team in either their first or second season.
476 boys were named Luka in 2021. That number jumped to 527 boys in 2024, the same year the team went to the NBA Finals.
Zoom out: Luka ranked 94th nationally last year, but 77th in Texas.
The intrigue: 604 of the boys born in Texas last year were named Maverick and 434 were named Kai, a nickname often used for Kyrie Irving.
What we're watching: How the Luka trend might change now that Dončić is no longer a Maverick.
