Find out how popular the last name Louis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Louis.

Louis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Louis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Louis in America

Louis is the 1510th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Louis surname appeared 23,738 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Louis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Louis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Louis

The surname LOUIS finds its origin in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "Hlodovicus," which means "famous warrior." This name was popularized by the Frankish rulers of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, who bore the name Louis.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOUIS can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document mentions a landowner named Louis, indicating the presence of French nobility in England following the Norman Conquest.

During the High Middle Ages, the name LOUIS gained prominence in France with the reign of Louis IX (1214-1270), also known as Saint Louis. He was a pious and influential monarch who led the Seventh and Eighth Crusades and is renowned for his efforts to establish justice and promote the welfare of his subjects.

Another notable figure bearing the surname LOUIS was Louis XIV (1638-1715), the Sun King of France. His reign, which lasted over 72 years, was marked by the centralization of power, the construction of the Palace of Versailles, and the expansion of French territories through military campaigns.

In the realm of literature, Louis Hémon (1880-1913), a French-Canadian author, is best known for his novel "Maria Chapdelaine," which portrays the lives of settlers in rural Quebec. His work is celebrated for its authentic depiction of the French-Canadian experience.

The name LOUIS also made its mark in the world of science with Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), a French biologist and chemist. He is renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries in the field of microbiology, including the pasteurization process and the development of vaccines against rabies and anthrax.

Throughout history, the surname LOUIS has been associated with various places and regions, such as Louiseville, a town in Quebec, Canada, named after Louis XIV, and the U.S. state of Louisiana, which derives its name from Louis XIV as well.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Louis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Louis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Louis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Louis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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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