Luther (surname)

As a German surname, Luther is derived from a Germanic personal name compounded from the words liut, "salvation", and heri, "army". As a rare English surname, it means lute player. Luther is also derived from the Greek name Eleutherius. Eleutherius is a cognate of the Greek word eleutheros (ἐλεύθερος) which means "free".

As a personal name, Luther is a boy's name of German origin meaning "the salvation army". It was once restricted to Evangelical Protestants honoring the ecclesiastical reformer and theologian Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant Church.

Notable people

• Alan Harold Luther (born 1940), American theoretical physicist
• Bill Luther (born 1945), American congressman from Minnesota
• Bobbi Sue Luther (born 1978), American model and actress
• Cal Luther (1930–2021), American basketball coach
• Charles Luther (1885–1962), Swedish Olympic sprinter
• Charles Luther (soldier) (1880–1961), English soldier and cricketer
• Darlene Luther (1947–2002), American politician
• Frank Luther (1899–1980), American musician
• George Luther (1823–1884), American politician
• Hans Luther (1879–1962), German politician and Chancellor of Germany
• Harold C. Luther (1915–1973), American politician from New York
• Jeremy Luther (born 1973), American basketball coach
• John Luther (MP) (c. 1739–1786), English Member of Parliament
• Martin Christian Luther (1883–1963), Estonians entrepreneur and politician
• Martin Luther (diplomat) (1895–1945), German diplomat from 1940–1945 and a member of the Nazi Party
• Robert Luther (1822–1900), German astronomer (full name Karl Theodor Robert Luther)
• Robert Luther (Chemist) (1867/8–1945), German scientist (chemistry, photography)
• Ryan Luther (born 1995), American professional basketball player.
• Sally Luther (1918–2015), American politician from Minnesota
• Sidney A. von Luther (1925–1985), American politician, New York state senator
• Thomas Luther (born 1969), German chess player
• T. J. Luther (born 2000), American football player

Arts, entertainment and media

• Lex Luthor, a comic book villain from DC Comics
• Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, the protagonist of the British BBC television series Luther

See also

• Luther (disambiguation)
• Luther (given name)
• Luter (surname)