At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #6,803 of boy names (outside the top 1,000)
- Babies in 2025
- 12 (<0.01% of boys)
- Trend
- Slipping #4,141 in 2020 to #6,803 in 2025
- Peak
- #4,141 in 2020
- First recorded
- 2005
Meaning of Vuk
Rooted in the rich tapestry of Slavic languages, Vuk (pronounced vook) derives from the ancient Proto-Slavic *vьlkъ, meaning “wolf,” a creature that for centuries has embodied cunning leadership and unfaltering loyalty at the margins of civilization. In Serbian tradition, Vuk carries the weight of folklore and ceremony, often invoked to summon strength—an echo of pack dynamics in human affairs—while in contemporary Anglo-American contexts it offers both an exotic resonance and a measured sobriety to modern naming conventions. Although it hovers around the 900s in U.S. birth rankings with fewer than twenty annual occurrences, its stark, singular vowel invites a distinctive presence. On balance, Vuk stands as a testament to the enduring allure of wildness tempered by cultural refinement—a choice both evocative and subtly audacious, though parents should perhaps brace themselves for more pronunciation tutorials than playground chatter.
How to pronounce Vuk
Serbian
- Pronounced vook /vuk/
Popularity of Vuk in the U.S.
Vuk was the #6,803 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 12 babies. It peaked at #4,141 in 2020. It first appears in the records in 2005.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 2005–2025 21 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 6,803 | ▼ 604 |
| 2024 | 14 | 6,199 | ▲ 1,090 |
| 2023 | 11 | 7,289 | ▼ 2,986 |
| 2022 | 24 | 4,303 | ▲ 807 |
| 2021 | 18 | 5,110 | ▼ 969 |
| 2020 | 24 | 4,141 | ▲ 4,748 |
| 2019 | 8 | 8,889 | ▼ 70 |
| 2018 | 8 | 8,819 | ▼ 2,759 |
| 2017 | 14 | 6,060 | ▲ 289 |
| 2016 | 13 | 6,349 | ▼ 25 |
| 2015 | 13 | 6,324 | ▼ 591 |
| 2014 | 15 | 5,733 | ▲ 870 |
| 2013 | 12 | 6,603 | ▼ 297 |
| 2012 | 13 | 6,306 | ▲ 1,196 |
| 2011 | 10 | 7,502 | ▲ 637 |
| 2010 | 9 | 8,139 | ▲ 1,725 |
| 2009 | 7 | 9,864 | ▲ 2,689 |
| 2008 | 5 | 12,553 | ▼ 2,765 |
| 2007 | 7 | 9,788 | ▼ 203 |
| 2006 | 7 | 9,585 | ▼ 470 |
| 2005 | 7 | 9,115 | new |
Notable people named Vuk
- Vuk Jeremic is a Serbian politician and diplomat who served as president of the UN General Assembly and Serbia's foreign minister.
- Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic was a Serbian linguist who reformed the Serbian language and preserved its rich folk traditions.
- Vuk Draskovic is a Serbian writer and politician.
- Vuk Vidor is a French-Serbian artist.
- Vuk Brankovic was a medieval Serbian nobleman who briefly became the most powerful Serbian lord after the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
More people named Vuk 10 more
- Vuk Vrcevic was a lyric poetry collector, translator, and companion of Serbian language reformer Vuk Karadzic.
- Vuk Cosic is a Slovenian contemporary artist who helped shape the early European net.art movement in the 1990s.
- Vuk Marinkovic was a Serbian physician, educator, and linguist credited with founding modern physics in Serbia.
- Vuk Kulenovic was a Bosnian composer and Berklee teacher who created over 100 works inspired by jazz, Balkan folk music, and other global styles.
- Vuk Rasovic is a Serbian football manager and former defender who currently manages Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League.
- Vuk Lungulov-Klotz is a Chilean-American film director.
- Vuk Bogdanovic is a Serbian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Cukaricki.
- Vuk Radivojevic is a retired Serbian basketball player and former national team member who now serves as sports director for Igokea.
- Vuk Obradovic was a Serbian general and politician who helped lead the Democratic Opposition of Serbia during the 2000 Bulldozer Revolution.
- Vuk Karadzic is a Serbian professional basketball player for KK Dynamic Belgrade.