girl's name · in the US
Lois
LOH-iss (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 360,304
France
#241
as Loïs, 2025
Lois is a girl's name that appears once in the New Testament, in a letter naming Timothy's grandmother, and its meaning has never been established. It is reviving, and it does not currently chart in any market.
- Lois is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1927, when 10,587 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 26,737 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lois Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 954 |
| 1890s | 3,262 |
| 1900s | 7,805 |
| 1910s | 38,676 |
| 1920s | 88,830 |
| 1930s | 81,351 |
| 1940s | 57,142 |
| 1950s | 36,347 |
| 1960s | 13,345 |
| 1970s | 2,936 |
| 1980s | 1,439 |
| 1990s | 950 |
| 2000s | 801 |
| 2010s | 1,023 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 733 |
What Lois Means
Lois has no known meaning. Greek in form, it is variously given as more desirable, better or most beautiful, but none of these readings is securely derived and the name may not be Greek at all.
Where Lois Comes From
Lois appears exactly once in scripture: in the Second Letter to Timothy, Paul names Lois as Timothy's grandmother and Eunice as his mother, praising the faith that passed through three generations of women. That is the whole of the record, and the name's origin has never been settled — the common readings of more desirable or most beautiful are guesses built on a resemblance to Greek comparatives. It entered English use after the Reformation with the wave of biblical names, and the twentieth-century association is comic rather than scriptural: Lois Lane appeared in Action Comics in 1938.
Lois in Use
Lois peaked in the United States in 1927, when 10,587 babies were registered, and it is reviving. It does not currently rank in the latest year of any market, which is unusual for a name holding 359,916 lifetime births across its spellings — the volume is real but almost entirely historical. About 3 percent of recorded births are male, largely reflecting the separate French Loïs.
How Popular Is Lois?
In 2025, Lois was given to 124 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Lois Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Lois Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Loïs | Loïs is Lois written with a diaeresis in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #241 in France, against #6,143 for Lois. | 12,235 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Lois
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Lois Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lois over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Lois is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- France Both 28% girls · 3,915 babies
- England & Wales Girls' 100% girls · 1,798 babies
- United States Girls' 100% girls · 1,232 babies
- Scotland Girls' 100% girls · 218 babies
- Canada Girls' 100% girls · 146 babies
- Northern Ireland Girls' 100% girls · 61 babies
How to Say Lois
- English LOH-iss /ˈloʊ.ɪs/
Lois in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Lois
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Lois — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Lois
What does the name Lois mean?
It is not known. More desirable and most beautiful are commonly given but neither is securely derived.
Is Lois in the Bible?
Once — in the Second Letter to Timothy, as the grandmother whose faith passed to him through his mother Eunice.
Is Lois coming back?
It is reviving, though it does not currently chart in any market.
Where does Lois Lane come from?
She appeared in Action Comics in 1938, and is the reason most people now recognize the name.
How popular is the name Lois?
In 2025, Lois was given to 124 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Lois a girl's or a boy's name?
Lois is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lois?
Lois has 2 syllables.
When was Lois most popular?
Lois peaked in 1927, when 10,587 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Lois a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lois currently ranks #241 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.