The first name Louis
A boy’s name from French meaning “loud”, “famous”, “battle”.
Pronounced /ˈluː.i/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
French origin
Louis means “loud”, “famous”, “battle” in French.
From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”). Doublet of Lewis (which is inherited since the Middle Ages) and, more remotely, Aloysius, Luis, Ludwig, Luigi, and Clovis.
More names that mean famous, warrior.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 1,030 boys were named Louis, making it the 49th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2004, with 1,976 births (#38).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Louis with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Louis at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,391 boys born in the United States were named Louis, the 249th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 7,247 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.
Louis in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Louis in French too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Louis
1,141 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Louis PasteurFrench chemist and microbiologist (1822–1895)
- Louis ArmstrongAmerican jazz musician, trumpeter and singer (1901–1971)
- Louis de FunèsFrench actor and comedian (1914–1983)
- Louis-Ferdinand CélineFrench writer (1894–1961)
- Louis BrailleFrench organist and teacher (1809-1852), inventor of braille, a system for reading and wri
- Louis AragonFrench poet (1897–1982)
- Joseph Louis Gay-LussacFrench chemist and physicist (1778–1850)
- Louis DaguerreFrench scientist, artist and photographer (1787–1851)
- Louis van GaalDutch footbal player and manager, born 1951
- Louis AlthusserFrench Marxist philosopher (1918–1990)
- Louis NéelFrench physicist (1904-2000)
- Nicolas Louis de LacailleFrench astronomer, 1713–1762
More French boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Louis mean?
- Louis means “loud”, “famous”, “battle” in French.
- What is the origin of the name Louis?
- From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”). Doublet of Lewis (which is inherited since the…
- How popular is the name Louis?
- In 2025, 1,030 boys born in England and Wales were named Louis, ranking 49th. Its peak was 2004, with 1,976 births.
- What are nicknames for Louis?
- Common nicknames for Louis include Lou, Louie.
- Is Louis a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 409,317 US babies named Louis since 1880 were boys.
- When was Louis most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 7,247 babies were named Louis, its highest rank at 29th.
- How do you pronounce Louis?
- Louis is /ˈluː.i/, 2 syllables.
- Is Louis also a surname?
- Yes. Louis is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.