Where does the name Louise come from?

Louise is a girl name of French origin.

Is Louise a boy or a girl name?

Louise is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 99% of children given the name Louise are girls and 1% are boys.

How popular is the name Louise in 2023?

Louise ranks #583 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1920 with 9,226 babies.

How do you pronounce Louise?

Louise is pronounced loo-EEZ (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Louise?

Louise is also written as Luisa, Loïse, Lou.

A name from French · Girl

Louise

French feminine of Louis, from Germanic hlud ('famous') + wig ('battle'); 'famous warrior'. The form Louise was adopted into English in the 17th century and became a perennial English classic.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

335,325 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

514 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

LFrench feminine of Louis, from Germanic hlud ('famous') + wig ('battle'); 'famous warrior'. The form Louise was adopted into English in the 17th century and became a perennial English classic.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Louise".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Luisa Most common Loïse Lou

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Louise.

L
Louise Bourgeois (sculptor)
L
Louise Glück (Nobel laureate poet)
L
Louise Brooks (silent film star)

Quick answers

People often ask about Louise.

What does the name Louise mean?: Louise means french feminine of Louis, from Germanic hlud ('famous') + wig ('battle'); 'famous warrior'. The form Louise was adopted into English in the 17th century and became a perennial English classic.
Where does the name Louise come from?: Louise is a girl name of French origin.
Is Louise a boy or a girl name?: Louise is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 99% of children given the name Louise are girls and 1% are boys.
How popular is the name Louise in 2023?: Louise ranks #583 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1920 with 9,226 babies.
How do you pronounce Louise?: Louise is pronounced loo-EEZ (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Louise?: Louise is also written as Luisa, Loïse, Lou.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.