Head to head · Boys' names
Louie vs Mohammed
#596 vs #595 in 2025
Mohammed is a whisker ahead (#595 vs #596 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Mohammed is holding its place on the charts, Louie is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Louie has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Louie leads 4 measures of 6; Mohammed leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Louie #268, Mohammed — — Louie higher
- 1890s: Louie #265, Mohammed — — Louie higher
- 1900s: Louie #250, Mohammed — — Louie higher
- 1910s: Louie #261, Mohammed — — Louie higher
- 1920s: Louie #275, Mohammed #4002 — Louie higher
- 1930s: Louie #292, Mohammed #2719 — Louie higher
- 1940s: Louie #332, Mohammed #3339 — Louie higher
- 1950s: Louie #393, Mohammed #3481 — Louie higher
- 1960s: Louie #501, Mohammed #2842 — Louie higher
- 1970s: Louie #622, Mohammed #1475 — Louie higher
- 1980s: Louie #787, Mohammed #771 — Mohammed higher
- 1990s: Louie #1078, Mohammed #600 — Mohammed higher
- 2000s: Louie #1481, Mohammed #602 — Mohammed higher
- 2010s: Louie #1073, Mohammed #574 — Mohammed higher
- 2020s: Louie #660, Mohammed #644 — Mohammed higher
Louie stood higher in 10 of 15 decades; Mohammed has held the lead since the 1980s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Louie | Mohammed |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #268 | — |
| 1890s | #265 | — |
| 1900s | #250 | — |
| 1910s | #261 | — |
| 1920s | #275 | #4002 |
| 1930s | #292 | #2719 |
| 1940s | #332 | #3339 |
| 1950s | #393 | #3481 |
| 1960s | #501 | #2842 |
| 1970s | #622 | #1475 |
| 1980s | #787 | #771 |
| 1990s | #1078 | #600 |
| 2000s | #1481 | #602 |
| 2010s | #1073 | #574 |
| 2020s | #660 | #644 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Louie
- England & Wales#28
- Scotland#37
Mohammed
- England & Wales#21
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Louie
famous in battle
From the Germanic elements hlud 'loud, famous' and wig 'war, battle', through Frankish Hludwig and Old French Louis.
Hludwig → Clovis → Louis → Lewis → Louie
How it traveled
The name begins with the Frankish Hludwig, borne by Clovis, the fifth-century king who united the Franks — Clovis and Louis are the same name at different stages of wear. Through Old French it smoothed into Louis, and eighteen French kings carried it, among them Louis IX, canonized in the thirteenth century, and Louis XIV, whose reign filled the second half of the seventeenth.
Mohammed
praised, praiseworthy
From the Arabic root ḥ-m-d, 'to praise'. The same root gives Ahmad, Mahmud and Hamid, which are separate names rather than variants of this one.
Muḥammad (Arabic) → Muhammad → Mohammed
How it traveled
The name is Arabic, and its history in the world begins with Muhammad ibn Abdullah, born in Mecca in the sixth century, the Prophet of Islam. After him the name traveled wherever Islam did — across North Africa, into Persia and Central Asia, through South and Southeast Asia, up into the Balkans and West Africa — and each language reshaped it a little: Mehmet in Turkish, Muhamed in Bosnian, Maxamed in Somali, Muhammadu in Hausa.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Louie
LOO-ee
Stress on the first syllable. Unlike Louis, which English speakers split between LOO-is and LOO-ee, this spelling settles the question on sight.
- Lou — The standard short form, informal, and long used as a standalone given name for men and women alike.
- Louie — Historically the pet form of Louis; now most often the full name on the birth certificate rather than a nickname.
- Lulu — An affectionate family form, generally used only in early childhood.
Mohammed
mo-HAM-med
Common American pronunciation. In Arabic it is closer to moo-HAM-mad, with the doubled m held slightly and a fuller vowel in the last syllable. Both are heard in the same family without anyone minding.
- Mo — The everyday short form in English-speaking countries; also used as a standalone name and a nickname for Moses, Maurice and Monica.
- Moe — The same short form with an American spelling, more common in older records.
- Momo — Informal, mostly family and childhood use; heard in French- and Arabic-speaking communities.
- Hamada — An Egyptian familiar form, used affectionately within family rather than in formal settings.
- Also Mido.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Louie if you want…
- a name on the way upup 171 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesLouie is 2 syllables to Mohammed's 3
- a name that charts abroad tooLouie is on the national lists of England & Wales and Scotland
- a long American recordLouie was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Mohammed if you want…
- a name holding steadyMohammed is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itMohammed runs 3 syllables, Louie 2
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Mo, Moe and Momo
- a newer arrivalMohammed entered the US charts in 1922
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Louie
Strengths
- The spelling tells people how to say it — no correcting LOO-is versus LOO-ee for a lifetime.
- Lou is an established short form with centuries behind it, so the name has a shorter register built in.
- The same name exists as Louis, Luis, Luigi and Ludwig, which travels easily in multilingual families.
To consider
- Louie and Louis are the same name, and people will default to whichever they know better. Expect forms to come back spelled the other way, and expect to spell it aloud fairly often.
- The 1963 Kingsmen recording of "Louie Louie" is still widely known, so the name arrives with a chorus attached for some listeners.
- Because Louie began as the pet form of Louis, a few people hear it as a nickname rather than a full name. Some parents register Louis and use Louie daily to keep both options open.
Mohammed
Strengths
- Recognized on sight almost anywhere in the world — few names cross as many languages, alphabets and borders intact.
- Mo is an established short form with generations of use behind it, and it also stands alone.
- Fourteen centuries of continuous use, with no gap and no revival needed.
To consider
- Several English spellings compete: Muhammad, Mohamed, Mohammad, Muhammed. Whichever you choose, expect to spell it out at the doctor's office, and expect any single spelling's statistics to understate how common the name really is.
- It is the Prophet's name, and in Muslim families that carries real reverence — a consideration for religious and non-religious households alike. It is also a name that occasionally meets prejudice in the US, which is worth naming plainly rather than discovering later.
- Because it is given so widely in some communities, many boys go by a middle or second name day to day. That can be an advantage or an extra thing to explain, depending on the family.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Louie and Mohammed in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Louie and Mohammed?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Louie and Mohammed — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Louie or Mohammed — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Louie or Mohammed?
- Mohammed, in 2025: Mohammed ranked #595 with 486 babies; Louie ranked #596 with 481 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Louie or Mohammed?
- Louie. Over the last five years Louie moved up 171 places; Mohammed moved up 46 places.
- Which is the older name, Louie or Mohammed?
- Louie was already in use when US records began in 1880; Mohammed entered the US charts in 1922. On the American record, Louie is the older name.
- How many people are named Louie and Mohammed?
- About 16,000 people named Louie are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 16,000 people named Mohammed are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Louies or Mohammeds in the classroom?
- Louie will almost certainly be the only one in school. Mohammed will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Louie, Mohammed and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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