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

Louisa, 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 Louisa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Louisa in America

Louisa is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Louisa surname appeared 110 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Louisa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Louisa 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 Louisa

The surname "Louisa" is of French origin, believed to have emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is derived from the French feminine given name "Louise," which itself has roots in the Old German name "Hlodovicus" or "Chlodovechus," meaning "famous warrior." The name was popularized in France during the reign of King Louis IX, also known as Saint Louis, who ruled from 1226 to 1270.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Louisa" can be found in the records of the French city of Bordeaux, where a family by that name is mentioned in the late 17th century. Around the same time, the name also appeared in the records of the Huguenot community in France, indicating that some Huguenot families adopted the surname after fleeing religious persecution.

As the French colonial empire expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname "Louisa" spread to various parts of the world, including North America and the Caribbean. One notable early bearer of the name was Louise de Kérouaille (1649-1734), a French noblewoman who became the mistress of King Charles II of England and was granted the title Duchess of Portsmouth.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "Louisa" was John Louisa, a merchant who lived in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. Other notable individuals include Mary Louisa Whately (1824-1889), an English novelist and philanthropist, and Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the renowned American author best known for her novel "Little Women."

In the arts, the surname "Louisa" has been associated with several notable figures, such as the British painter Louisa Anne Beresford (1818-1909) and the American actress Louisa Paulin (1888-1972). Additionally, the name has been used in various literary works, including the character of Louisa Musgrove in Jane Austen's novel "Persuasion."

While the surname "Louisa" is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped its evolution over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Louisa

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

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

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

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