# Lois (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/lois/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈləʊ.ɪs/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 335,594 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,644 / 332,950 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 9,907, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Ancient Greek Λωΐς (Lōḯs), of obscure meaning. Unrelated to Louise or Louisa.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 72 | 2,525 |
| 2012 | 94 | 2,054 |
| 2013 | 78 | 2,359 |
| 2014 | 101 | 1,973 |
| 2015 | 109 | 1,880 |
| 2016 | 119 | 1,751 |
| 2017 | 134 | 1,622 |
| 2018 | 122 | 1,701 |
| 2019 | 124 | 1,693 |
| 2020 | 106 | 1,846 |
| 2021 | 120 | 1,726 |
| 2022 | 124 | 1,690 |
| 2023 | 132 | 1,591 |
| 2024 | 121 | 1,690 |
| 2025 | 124 | 1,670 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 10 | 3,628 |
| 1978 | 5 | 6,392 |
| 1980 | 5 | 6,864 |
| 1983 | 5 | 6,897 |
| 1986 | 5 | 7,393 |
| 1987 | 13 | 3,654 |
| 1988 | 8 | 5,517 |
| 1989 | 6 | 7,538 |
| 1990 | 8 | 6,186 |
| 1991 | 6 | 7,860 |
| 1992 | 6 | 8,045 |
| 2000 | 6 | 9,840 |
| 2003 | 7 | 9,252 |
| 2006 | 5 | 13,233 |
| 2021 | 6 | 11,596 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 481 | 121 |
| 2012 | 447 | 128 |
| 2013 | 391 | 137 |
| 2014 | 389 | 140 |
| 2015 | 357 | 152 |
| 2016 | 287 | 192 |
| 2017 | 293 | 183 |
| 2018 | 236 | 215 |
| 2019 | 182 | 265 |
| 2020 | 182 | 258 |
| 2021 | 158 | 297 |
| 2022 | 115 | 369 |
| 2023 | 139 | 314 |
| 2024 | 115 | 374 |
| 2025 | 87 | 460 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4 | 3,937 |

## In other languages

- Greek: Λουίζα

## People named Lois

- Lois McMaster Bujold, American novelist (born 1949)
- Lois Maxwell, Canadian actress (1927–2007)
- Lois Lowry, American writer
- Loïs Openda, Belgian association football player
- Lois Weber, American actor/film director (1879-1939)
- Lois Chiles, American actress and model (born 1947)
- Lois Smith, American actress
- Lois Wilson, American actress (1894-1988)
- Lois Abbingh, Dutch handball player
- Loïs Boisson, French tennis player
- Lois Nettleton, actress (1927-2008)
- Lois Duncan, American young-adult and children's writer (1934-2016)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.