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

Popularity of Ludwig by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Ludwig is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 9 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Ludwig.

The history of the first name Ludwig

The name Ludwig originates from the Germanic languages and has been in use since the 8th century AD. It is a compound name formed by the elements "hlud" meaning "loud" or "famous" and "wig" meaning "battle" or "warrior". The name can be translated to mean "famous warrior" or "loud battler".

The earliest recorded instances of the name are found in the medieval Frankish and German royal annals. It was a popular name among the nobility and ruling class during the Middle Ages, particularly in the Holy Roman Empire. The name grew in prominence during the reign of the Carolingian and Ottonian dynasties.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name was Ludwig the German, a Carolingian king who ruled over East Francia from 817 to 876 AD. Another notable figure was Ludwig the Child, who was the last Carolingian ruler of East Francia, reigning from 900 to 911 AD.

During the High Middle Ages, the name was particularly favored by the ruling houses of Bavaria and the Holy Roman Empire. Ludwig IV, also known as Ludwig the Bavarian, was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 to 1347 AD. He was a prominent figure during the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire known as the Avignon Papacy.

In more recent history, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. His works, such as the Ninth Symphony and the Moonlight Sonata, are considered masterpieces of the classical music era.

Another famous bearer of the name was Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), an Austrian-British philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of logic, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. His works, such as the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations, greatly influenced 20th-century analytical philosophy.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was a German-American architect who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern architecture. His minimalist designs and innovative use of materials, such as the "less is more" principle, had a profound impact on the development of 20th-century architecture.

Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977) was a German economist and politician who served as the Chancellor of West Germany from 1963 to 1966. He is credited with the implementation of the social market economy in post-World War II West Germany, which led to the country's remarkable economic recovery, known as the "Wirtschaftswunder" or "Economic Miracle".

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 Ludwig was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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