NameChart

Louis

Boy name

Louis has been given to 409,317 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1921 and currently ranks #249 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ˈluː.i/

From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”). Doublet of Lewis (which is inherited since the Middle Ages) and, more remotely, Aloysius, Luis, Ludwig, Luigi, and Clovis.

Origin: French

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

01.812k3.624k5.435k7.247k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

409,317

Peak year

1921 (7,296 babies)

Rank in 2025

#249 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +15%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Louis

Louis Pasteur

French chemist and microbiologist (1822-1895)

Louis XIV of France

King of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715 (1638-1715)

Louis Armstrong

American jazz musician, trumpeter and singer (1901–1971)

Napoleon III

President of the Second French Republic, Emperor of the Second French Empire and last monarch of France (1808–1873)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Louis.

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