girls' name ★ peaked 1927

Lois

Meaning From Ancient Greek Λωΐς (Lōḯs), of obscure meaning Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,670 Trend ↑ Rising 10%

From Ancient Greek Λωΐς (Lōḯs), of obscure meaning.

Rank 2025
#1,670
among girls · ↑20 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
124
named Lois · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,962
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1927
10,587 babies
All-time total
335,594
#115 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lois popularity over time

335,594 babies have been named Lois since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 954 – 954 95 – #176
1890s 3,228 34 3,262 326 +242% #111
1900s 7,691 114 7,805 781 +139% #73
1910s 38,179 497 38,676 3,868 +396% #40
1920s 88,133 697 88,830 8,883 +130% #17
1930s 80,713 638 81,351 8,135 -8% #17
1940s 56,854 288 57,142 5,714 -30% #38
1950s 36,200 147 36,347 3,635 -36% #83
1960s 13,254 91 13,345 1,335 -63% #175
1970s 2,884 52 2,936 294 -78% #427
1980s 1,397 42 1,439 144 -51% #836
1990s 930 20 950 95 -34% #1,458
2000s 783 18 801 80 -16% #2,026
2010s 1,023 – 1,023 102 +28% #1,622
2020s (to 2025) 727 6 733 122 +19% #1,591

Where Lois is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 126 0.08 outside top 500
2027 127 0.08 outside top 500
2028 128 0.08 outside top 500
2029 129 0.08 outside top 500
2030 130 0.08 outside top 500

Where Lois is most popular

Girls named Lois per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.077 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Washington, and Kentucky.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lois born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 16 0.133 +73%
Washington 13 0.090 +18%
Kentucky 7 0.082 +7%
New York 31 0.078 ≈ national
Tennessee 12 0.076 ≈ national
Texas 55 0.068 -11%
North Carolina 15 0.066 -14%
California 48 0.057 -25%
Colorado 6 0.054 -30%
Indiana 7 0.050 -35%
Illinois 11 0.048 -37%
Virginia 8 0.047 -39%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -39%
Georgia 10 0.044 -42%
Arizona 6 0.043 -44%
New Jersey 6 0.033 -57%
Michigan 6 0.033 -57%
Florida 12 0.028 -63%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -72%
Ohio 5 0.021 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lois

Lois is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,670 in 2025 with 124 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 335,594 American babies have been named Lois. Its peak came in 1927, when 10,587 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lois stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lois?

The median living Lois is about 77 years old; half are between 69 and 85. An estimated 110 thousand people named Lois are alive in the United States today.

median 77 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lois year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 124 #1,670 – –
2024 121 #1,690 – –
2023 132 #1,591 – –
2022 124 #1,690 – –
2021 120 #1,726 6 #11,596
2020 106 #1,846 – –
2019 124 #1,693 – –
2018 122 #1,701 – –
2017 134 #1,622 – –
2016 119 #1,751 – –
2015 109 #1,880 – –
2014 101 #1,973 – –
2013 78 #2,359 – –
2012 94 #2,054 – –
2011 72 #2,525 – –
2010 70 #2,602 – –
2009 80 #2,412 – –
2008 85 #2,307 – –
2007 82 #2,342 – –
2006 87 #2,219 5 #13,233
2005 65 #2,616 – –
2004 64 #2,615 – –
2003 73 #2,313 7 #9,252
2002 85 #2,042 – –
2001 84 #2,026 – –
2000 78 #2,095 6 #9,840
1995 98 #1,555 – –
1990 93 #1,613 8 #6,186
1985 129 #1,122 – –
1980 153 #972 5 #6,864
1975 222 #676 – –
1970 517 #427 9 #3,426
1965 1,204 #249 7 #3,428
1960 2,269 #175 12 #2,487
1955 3,418 #124 12 #2,386
1950 4,504 #83 17 #1,858
1945 5,148 #48 21 #1,477
1940 6,125 #38 37 #1,087
1935 7,990 #21 57 #826
1930 10,114 #17 87 #670
1925 9,573 #18 67 #813
1920 6,560 #38 56 #926
1915 4,775 #47 67 #727
1910 1,271 #76 15 #807
1905 763 #88 8 #975
1900 577 #115 10 #880
1895 311 #144 – –
1890 175 #178 – –
1885 105 #183 – –
1880 53 #211 – –

Famous people named Lois

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lois Chiles Lois Chiles American actress and model (born 1947) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lois Smith Lois Smith American actress (born 1930) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lois Maxwell Lois Maxwell Canadian actress (1927–2007) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lois Nettleton Lois Nettleton American actress (1927–2008) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lois Lowry Lois Lowry American writer (born 1937) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lois McMaster Bujold Lois McMaster Bujold American speculative fiction author (born 1949) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lois Weber Lois Weber American actress and film director (1879-1939) 19th century
  8. 8 Lois Wilson Lois Wilson American actress (1894–1988) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lois, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lois?

The median living Lois is about 77 years old. Half of all living Loiss are between 69 and 85 years old.

How many people named Lois are alive today?

An estimated 110 thousand people named Lois are alive in the United States, based on 335,594 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lois mean?

From Ancient Greek Λωΐς (Lōḯs), of obscure meaning.

How popular is the name Lois in 2025?

Lois ranked #1,670 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 124 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lois?

335,594 babies have been named Lois in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lois most popular?

Lois peaked in 1927, when 10,587 newborns received the name.

Is Lois a boy or girl name?

Lois is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lois rising or falling?

Lois is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lois become more popular?

Lois looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 130 girls named Lois in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lois?

Well-known people named Lois include Lois Chiles (actor), Lois Smith (actor), Lois Maxwell (actor).

Names like Lois

Names that sound and feel close to Lois: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lois with similar names → More names starting with L →