boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Louis

Meaning loud; famous Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #249 Trend → Stable

From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from…

Rank 2025
#249
among boys · ↓13 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,397
named Louis · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,228
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
7,296 babies
All-time total
409,317
#84 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Louis popularity over time

409,317 babies have been named Louis 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
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 63 8,275 8,338 834 – #18
1890s 102 8,442 8,544 854 +2% #19
1900s 126 10,372 10,498 1,050 +23% #22
1910s 372 50,600 50,972 5,097 +386% #20
1920s 603 67,693 68,296 6,830 +34% #27
1930s 386 47,754 48,140 4,814 -30% #34
1940s 278 49,430 49,708 4,971 +3% #50
1950s 254 47,933 48,187 4,819 -3% #66
1960s 210 33,382 33,592 3,359 -30% #101
1970s 176 20,145 20,321 2,032 -40% #124
1980s 177 17,354 17,531 1,753 -14% #151
1990s 58 14,436 14,494 1,449 -17% #168
2000s 10 10,262 10,272 1,027 -29% #272
2010s 10 11,815 11,825 1,183 +15% #249
2020s (to 2025) 22 8,577 8,599 1,433 +21% #236

Where Louis is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 1,407 0.82 #247
2027 1,420 0.83 #242
2028 1,432 0.84 #242
2029 1,442 0.84 #242
2030 1,450 0.85 #242

Where Louis is most popular

Boys named Louis per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.839 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, District of Columbia, and Minnesota.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Louis 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 21 3.34 +299%
District of Columbia 49 3.32 +296%
Minnesota 346 2.82 +236%
Missouri 285 2.06 +145%
South Dakota 37 1.99 +137%
Wisconsin 224 1.89 +125%
Michigan 356 1.74 +107%
Hawaii 26 1.67 +100%
Kansas 104 1.52 +81%
Rhode Island 24 1.47 +76%
Nebraska 64 1.47 +76%
Massachusetts 201 1.46 +74%
Louisiana 149 1.46 +74%
Connecticut 95 1.40 +67%
Iowa 93 1.35 +61%
North Dakota 23 1.35 +61%
Ohio 356 1.34 +60%
Maine 25 1.29 +54%
New York 535 1.24 +47%
New Hampshire 27 1.22 +45%
Illinois 303 1.19 +41%
Pennsylvania 313 1.18 +41%
Oregon 86 1.13 +35%
Colorado 144 1.12 +33%
Washington 177 1.08 +29%
New Jersey 217 1.08 +29%
Indiana 166 1.04 +23%
Utah 96 1.01 +20%
Virginia 161 0.849 ≈ national
California 713 0.780 -7%
Maryland 92 0.771 -8%
Delaware 11 0.725 -13%
Idaho 29 0.709 -16%
South Carolina 72 0.697 -17%
Montana 12 0.680 -19%
Kentucky 65 0.648 -23%
Oklahoma 57 0.644 -23%
Tennessee 116 0.643 -23%
Arkansas 38 0.600 -28%
Arizona 97 0.593 -29%
Florida 271 0.572 -32%
Georgia 142 0.561 -33%
North Carolina 135 0.529 -37%
Texas 456 0.518 -38%
Alabama 53 0.485 -42%
Mississippi 27 0.475 -43%
Nevada 27 0.474 -44%
West Virginia 15 0.459 -45%
New Mexico 12 0.364 -57%
Alaska – – –
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 Louis

Louis is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #249 in 2025 with 1,391 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 409,317 American babies have been named Louis. Its peak came in 1921, when 7,296 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 Louis stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Louis?

The median living Louis is about 59 years old; half are between 35 and 72. An estimated 177 thousand people named Louis are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

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

Louis 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 6 #14,230 1,391 #249
2024 – – 1,510 #236
2023 5 #16,637 1,478 #238
2022 5 #16,741 1,442 #245
2021 – – 1,422 #251
2020 6 #14,428 1,334 #260
2019 5 #17,033 1,475 #249
2018 – – 1,388 #260
2017 – – 1,302 #277
2016 – – 1,242 #290
2015 5 #18,066 1,210 #296
2014 – – 1,229 #289
2013 – – 1,070 #315
2012 – – 1,057 #312
2011 – – 921 #332
2010 – – 921 #342
2009 – – 885 #353
2008 – – 909 #350
2007 – – 937 #345
2006 – – 1,001 #320
2005 – – 1,002 #324
2004 – – 1,051 #302
2003 – – 1,103 #283
2002 5 #17,043 1,143 #272
2001 – – 1,096 #279
2000 5 #16,518 1,135 #279
1995 9 #9,217 1,361 #218
1990 15 #5,999 1,820 #168
1985 19 #4,216 1,685 #164
1980 20 #3,934 1,787 #151
1975 13 #4,742 1,812 #138
1970 22 #3,074 2,642 #124
1965 18 #2,998 3,270 #101
1960 25 #2,411 4,128 #106
1955 19 #2,599 4,779 #82
1950 27 #1,859 4,947 #66
1945 30 #1,500 4,480 #55
1940 32 #1,332 4,324 #50
1935 32 #1,292 4,622 #42
1930 52 #1,025 5,810 #34
1925 68 #902 6,798 #29
1920 59 #953 6,966 #28
1915 50 #942 6,518 #23
1910 28 #824 1,569 #24
1905 14 #1,045 981 #25
1900 14 #1,035 1,097 #26
1895 8 #1,255 913 #21
1890 11 #858 860 #19
1885 5 #1,135 809 #19
1880 5 #893 828 #19

Famous people named Louis

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

  1. 1 Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong American jazz trumpeter and singer (1901–1971) Contemporary
  2. 2 Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I King of the French from 1830 to 1848 1773–1850 · 18th century
  3. 3 Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur French chemist, pharmacist and microbiologist (1822–1895) 19th century
  4. 4 Louis IX of France Louis IX of France King of France from 1226 to 1270 1214–1270 · Medieval
  5. 5 Louis Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte King of Holland from 1806 to 1810 1778–1846 · 18th century
  6. 6 Louis the Pious Louis the Pious Emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 813 to 840 778–840 · Medieval
  7. 7 Louis, Grand Dauphin Louis, Grand Dauphin Heir apparent of Louis XIV (1661–1711) 17th century
  8. 8 Louis de Funès Louis de Funès French actor and comedian (1914–1983) Contemporary
  9. 9 Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême French prince (1775–1844) 18th century
  10. 10 Louis VII of France Louis VII of France King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180 1120–1180 · Medieval
  11. 11 Louis VIII of France Louis VIII of France King of France from 1223 to 1226 1187–1226 · Medieval
  12. 12 Louis VI of France Louis VI of France King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137 1081–1137 · Medieval
  13. 13 Louis Braille Louis Braille French educator and inventor of braille (1809–1852) 19th century
  14. 14 Louis Antoine de Saint-Just Louis Antoine de Saint-Just French revolutionary politician (1767–1794) 18th century
  15. 15 Louis X of France Louis X of France King of France (1314–1316) and Navarre (1305–1316) 1289–1316 · Medieval
  16. 16 Louis I of Hungary Louis I of Hungary King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 to 1382 1326–1382 · Medieval
  17. 17 Louis de Broglie Louis de Broglie French physicist (1892–1987) 19th century
  18. 18 Louis XIV of France Louis XIV of France King of France from 1643 to 1715 1638–1715 · 17th century
  19. 19 Louis the German Louis the German King of East Francia from 843 to 876 806–876 · Medieval
  20. 20 Louis Daguerre Louis Daguerre French scientist, artist and photographer (1787–1851) 18th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Louis?

The median living Louis is about 59 years old. Half of all living Louiss are between 35 and 72 years old.

How many people named Louis are alive today?

An estimated 177 thousand people named Louis are alive in the United States, based on 409,317 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Louis mean?

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”) +…

How popular is the name Louis in 2025?

Louis ranked #249 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,391 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Louis?

409,317 babies have been named Louis in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Louis most popular?

Louis peaked in 1921, when 7,296 newborns received the name.

Is Louis a boy or girl name?

Louis is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Louis rising or falling?

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

Will Louis become more popular?

Louis looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,450 boys named Louis in 2030, ranking around #242. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Louis?

Well-known people named Louis include Louis Armstrong (musician), Louis Philippe I (politician), Louis Pasteur (chemist).

Names like Louis

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

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