The first name Lou

In 2025, 4 boys were named Lou, making it the 4,275th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2018, with 10 births (#2,499).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Lou with other names.

In 2025, 81 boys born in the United States were named Lou, the 1,929th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1954, when 1,495 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

• Lou Henry Hoover
  First Lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933
• Lou Ferrigno
  American actor and bodybuilder, born 1951
• Lou Gehrig
  American baseball player (1903–1941)
• Lou Diamond Phillips
  American actor, born 1962
• Lou Costello
  American actor and comedian (1906–1959)
• Aimee Lou Wood
  English actress (born 1994)
• Fannie Lou Hamer
  American civil rights activist (1917–1977)
• Lou Jeanmonnot
  French biathlete, born 1998
• Lou Taylor Pucci
  American actor, born 1985
• Lou Doillon
  French actress and singer, born 1982
• Lou Ottens
  Dutch engineer and inventor (1926-2021)
• Lou Donaldson
  American saxophonist (1926–2024)

What does the name Lou mean?

Shortening.

How popular is the name Lou?

In 2025, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Lou, ranking 4,275th. Its peak was 2018, with 10 births.

Is Lou a boy's or a girl's name?

Both. Of the 38,198 US babies named Lou since 1880, 89% were girls and 11% boys.

When was Lou most popular?

1954 in the United States, when 1,495 babies were named Lou, its highest rank at 204th.

How do you pronounce Lou?

Lou is /luː/, one syllable.

Is Lou also a surname?

Yes. Lou is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.