Louis
Feminine · “famous in battle”
Louis is given to boys far more often — 406,470 boys against 2,847 girls since 1880. See Louis as a boy name
Clovis and Louis are the same name. The first king of the Franks was Chlodovech, which Latin wrote as Chlodovechus and French wore down over five centuries to Louis — so the man who founded the French monarchy and the eighteen kings who carried the name afterward were all called the same thing, in different accents. Very few names can show their own history that clearly.
How old is the name Louis?
Louis was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Louis alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 1,100 people named Louis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Louis most popular?
Louis peaked in 1883, reaching #651 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 12,557 places below that high. See the whole 1883 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hludwig to Louis
The story of Louis
Clovis converted to Christianity around the end of the fifth century and his baptism at Reims tied the Frankish kingdom to Rome; his name became the royal name of the dynasty. It shifted spelling as French shifted pronunciation — Chlodovechus, Hlodovicus, Loys, Louis — and eighteen French kings carried the final form, including the one who built Versailles and the one who lost his head. The name reached English as Lewis and America as both. It charts today in France, Canada, England and Scotland at once, which very few names manage.
Meaning
famous in battle
From the Frankish elements hlud, famous or loud, and wig, battle or war. The German cousin is Ludwig, which shows the shape more plainly. It was the standard royal name of the Franks and then of France, and the meaning was chosen for exactly the reasons it looks like it was.
How the name formed
- Hludwig
- Chlodovechus
- Loys
- Louis
Related forms: Ludwig · Luis · Luigi · Lajos · Luís · Ludwik
Pronouncing Louis
LOO-iss
Two syllables in American English, with the s sounded. France says LOO, leaving the consonant entirely unspoken — so the written name and the spoken one are a syllable apart there. Both are correct in their own countries, and a Louis with French relatives will answer to both.
Nicknames for Louis
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 192671 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #651reached in 1883
- Change vs 2020
- 0.0%6 in 2025, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Louis in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ludwig in German — same name
- Luis in Spanish — same name
- Luigi in Italian — same name
- Lajos in Hungarian — same name
- Luís in Portuguese — same name
- Ludwik in Polish — same name
Louiss among us
people named Louis are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named Louis
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Louis sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Louis beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Louis in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It has been a royal name in France for fifteen hundred years and is standard in every European language.
- Lou, Louie and Lu are all available and belong to different registers.
- It charts currently in four countries at once, which almost no name does.
- The meaning is documented and takes three words to give.
- The last consonant is spoken in America and not in France, which is the one permanent point of friction.
- Lewis is the English spelling of the same name and will be written by some people.
- Nearly every child given this spelling is a boy; the record's girls are very few.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Louis to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Louis
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Louiss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Louis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Louis in 2025?
- Louis ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Louis?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named Louis — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Louis with classmates?
- Louis will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Louis
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
John#13208 · Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Euna#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Louis? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Louis and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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