Find out how popular the first name Louis has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Louis by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Louis is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Louis being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 1,474 male babies and 5 female babies born with the name Louis.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 5 baby girls were named Louis in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Louis

The given name Louis originated from the Old Frankish word "Hlodovicus", which was derived from the Germanic elements "hlud" meaning "renowned" and "wig" meaning "battle". It first emerged during the 7th century in what is now modern-day France and Germany.

The name became popular across Europe after Louis I, also known as Louis the Pious (778-840 AD), who was the King of the Franks and co-Emperor of the Carolingian Empire. His name was rendered in Latin as "Hludovicus" or "Ludovicus".

Another influential figure was Louis IX of France (1214-1270), who was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1297. He is widely revered as Saint Louis and is the patron saint of the French monarchy.

In England, the name was introduced by the Norman conquest in the 11th century. One of the earliest recorded examples is Louis VIII of France (1187-1226), who briefly ruled as King of England in 1216-1217.

Notable historical figures with the name Louis include Louis XIV of France (1638-1715), also known as the Sun King, who reigned for 72 years and was one of the most influential monarchs in European history. Louis XVI (1754-1793) was the last king of France before the French Revolution.

Other famous individuals named Louis were Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), the French biologist renowned for his discoveries in microbiology and pasteurization, and Louis Braille (1809-1852), the inventor of the Braille system for reading and writing used by the blind.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Louis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Louis, please contact us.

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