2000
#34,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Louise
A French surname derived from the given name Louise, meaning "renowned warrior".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 908 Americans carry the last name Louise. That puts it at #31,342 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 377,483 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Louise surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Louise with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
908
1 in 377,483
Census rank
#31,342
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
792
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 792 bearers of the surname Louise in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31342nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Louise, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Louise
The surname Louise originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French and Germanic name Lodewijck, which means "famous warrior." The name was often spelled as Lowise or Louwijs in medieval records.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Louise can be found in the Cartulaire de Redon, a 9th-century cartulary from the Redon Abbey in Brittany. The document mentions a nobleman named Lowise who donated land to the abbey in 842 AD.
In the 11th century, the surname Louise appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book recorded several individuals with the surname, including a landowner named Lowise de Beaumont in Hampshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Louise was also associated with several notable figures. One of the earliest was Lowise of Lacy (1180-1241), an English noblewoman and the heiress of the Lacy family estates. Another prominent bearer of the name was Lowise de la Tour d'Auvergne (1312-1375), a French noblewoman who served as the Countess of Évreux.
In the 15th century, the surname Louise was adopted by several members of the French royal family. One of the most famous was Louise of Savoy (1476-1531), the mother of King Francis I of France. She played a significant role in the French Renaissance and was a patron of the arts and literature.
Another notable figure with the surname Louise was Louise de Coligny (1555-1620), a French noblewoman and the wife of William the Silent, the leader of the Dutch Revolt against Spain. She was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and played a crucial role in the struggle for Dutch independence.
Throughout history, the surname Louise has been associated with various place names and locations, including Louiseville in Quebec, Canada, and Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. The name has also been spelled in various ways, such as Louisa, Luise, and Luiza, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Louise
Among Census respondents with the surname Louise, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Louise bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Louise surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.8% · 521
- Black or African American20.6% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 61
- Two or more races2.8% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Louise
Louise appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#36,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 621
+2 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,500 places
2020
#31,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 792
+171 bearers (+27.5%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 4,757 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,599 | 619 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,099 | 621 | 0.21 | +2 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 1,500 places |
| 2020 | #31,342 | 792 | 0.26 | +171 bearers (+27.5%) | Up 4,757 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Louise surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36,099 | #31,342 | 13.2% |
| Count | 621 | 792 | 27.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.26 | 26.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Louise bearers went from 621 to 792 (+27.5% change). The surname moved up 4,757 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,099 to #31,342.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Louise
FAQ
Louise surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Louise?
Name Census estimates that about 908 living Americans carry the surname Louise. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 377,483 residents.
How common is Louise?
Louise ranks #31,342 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 792 people with the surname Louise. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Louise.
Has Louise become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Louise went from 621 recorded bearers to 792. That is an increase of 171 (+27.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,099 to #31,342.
What does the Census say about the background of Louise?
Among Census respondents with the surname Louise, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (7.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Louise in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Louise appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.8%), Black (20.6%), Hispanic (7.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Louise (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Louise mean?
A French surname derived from the given name Louise, meaning "renowned warrior". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Louise (0.26 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Louise?
See how many Americans have the surname Louise on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.