girl's name
Louise
loo-EEZ
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 665,436
the United States
#515
2025 births
Louise is a girl's name of Germanic origin meaning "famous warrior," the French feminine form of Louis. It is the number one girls' name in France, and its American history is a revival: it peaked in 1920 and is climbing again a century later.
- Louise is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 9,226 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 5,726 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Louise over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 9,647 |
| 1890s | 15,259 |
| 1900s | 22,970 |
| 1910s | 68,302 |
| 1920s | 83,395 |
| 1930s | 50,283 |
| 1940s | 38,896 |
| 1950s | 26,012 |
| 1960s | 11,006 |
| 1970s | 2,979 |
| 1980s | 2,064 |
| 1990s | 1,309 |
| 2000s | 1,044 |
| 2010s | 2,489 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,007 |
What Louise means
Louise means famous warrior. It comes from the Germanic elements hlud, meaning famous or loud, and wig, meaning war, so the sense is renown won in battle rather than gentleness, despite the softness of the modern sound.
Where Louise comes from
Louise is the French feminine of Louis, which descends through Frankish Chlodowig from the Germanic hlud, famous, and wig, war. The same root gives Ludwig in German and Clovis in early French history, the name of the Frankish king baptised in Reims around 496. Eighteen French kings were called Louis, which fixed the masculine form at the center of French royal naming and carried the feminine along with it. English took Louise from French in the seventeenth century and has generally kept the French pronunciation, unlike Louisa, which was Latinised. In the United States the name belongs to the early twentieth century and is now returning; in France it never left.
Louise in use
Louise is the most popular girls' name in France, with about 3,075 births recorded across its spellings in 2025. Our records show a very different shape in America: it peaked in 1920 and sits at 515 today, so the same name is simultaneously a current French favorite and an American revival. It is modest in Britain, at 820 in England and Wales, which is unusual for a name this established in French.
How popular is Louise?
In 2025, Louise was given to 579 babies in the United States, ranking #515 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Louise 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 Louise is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Louïse | Louïse is a rare spelling of Louise, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 100 times, mostly in France. | 100 |
Names that peaked alongside Louise
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Louise also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Louise over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Louise
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Louise 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 Louise
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Louise — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Louise
What does the name Louise mean?
Louise means "famous warrior," from the Germanic hlud, famous, and wig, war.
Is Louise popular in France?
It is the number one girls' name in France, with about 3,075 births recorded in 2025.
How do you pronounce Louise in French?
loo-EEZ, with the stress on the second syllable and a soft z sound at the end.
Is Louise the same name as Louisa?
They share a root. Louise is the French feminine of Louis; Louisa is the Latinised form of the same name.
Is Louise a girl's or a boy's name?
Louise is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Louise?
Louise has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Louise?
Louise is usually shortened to Lou and Lulu.
Is Louise a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Louise currently ranks #1 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.