Louis

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Louis

Gender: Masculine
Language: French
Etymology:
Louis is the French form of the Germanic name, Hludwig (or Chlodovech, or Chlodowig) It originally meant “Famous Warrior” from “hlud” (famous), and “wig” (warrior).

History:
Louis had long been a favorite name in France, where Clovis I had been founder of the Frankish kingdom. Louis was especially popular as a royal and noble name. It crossed to England with the Normans in 1066 and was Anglicized as Lewis. Both spellings and pronunciations thrived. Louis declined in France after the French Revolution, while, oddly enough, it rose in popularity in England.

Pronunciation: LOO-ee, or LOO-iss.

Diminutives:
English: Lou, Louie, Lew.
German: Lutz.
Scottish (Old): Ludo.

Alternates: Lodowic, Lodowick.
Basque: Koldo.
Breton: Loeiz.
Catalan: Lluis.
Czech: Ludvík.
Dutch: Lodewijk.
English: Lewis, Lowis.
German: Ludwig.
Hawaiian: Lui.
Hungarian: Lájos.
Italian: Luigi, Lodovico.
Latin: Aloysius (SEE BELOW), Clovis, Ludovicus.
Norwegian: Ludvig.
Polish: Lodwik, Lodwig, Ludwik, Ludwich.
Portuguese: Luiz.
Provençal: Aloys.
Scandinavian: Ludvig.
Scottish Gaelic: Luthais.
Scottish (Old): Ludovic.
Spanish: Luis.

Alternates from “Aloysius”:
Czech: Alois.
German: Alois.

Feminine: Louise.

See also: Aloysius (Alois), Lewis, Lodowick, Luis.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Luigi Pulci (1432-1484)
Italian poet.
Ludwig Senfl (1490-1556)
Swiss composer.
Ludovico Carracci (1555-1619)
Italian painter.
Ludwig von Siegen (1609-1680)
German painter.
Louis Couperin (1626-1661)
French composer.
Louis-Nicholas Clérambault (1676-1749)
French composer.
Ludvig Friherre Holberg (1684-1754)
Danish and Norwegian writer.
Louis-François Roubiliac (1695-1762)
French sculptor.
Luigi Vanvitelli (1700-1773)
Italian architect.
Louis-Sébastien Mercier (1740-1814)
French dramatist.
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Italian composer.
Louis-Jean Desprez (1743-1804)
French painter.
Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748-1776)
German poet.
Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845)
French painter.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
German composer.
Louis-François, Baron Lejeune (1775-1848)
French painter.
Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862)
German poet.
Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872)
German philosopher.
Ludovic Halévy (1834-1908)
French novelist.
Ludwig Anzengruber (1839-1889)
Austrian playwright.
Louis Bourgault-Ducoudray (1840-1910)
French composer.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933)
American art designer. Helped create “Tiffany” glass.
Louis Sullivan (1856-1924)
American architect.
Louis Marie Anne Couperus (1863-1923)
Dutch novelist.
Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936)
Italian writer. Winner of the 1934 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Louis Raemaekers (1869-1956)
Dutch cartoonist.
Louis Hémon (1880-1913)
French author.
Ludvig Anselm Nordström (1882-1942)
Swedish writer.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969)
German-American architect.
Lajos Kassák (1887-1967)
Hungarian poet.
Ludwig Renn (1889-1979)
German novelist.
Louis Golding (1895-1958)
English novelist.
Louis Bromfield (1896-1956)
American novelist.
Louis Aragon (1897-1982)
French poet.
Louis Adamic (1899-1951)
Yugoslavian-American novelist.
Louis Kahn (1901-1974)
American architect.
Louis MacNeice (1907-1963)
British poet and playwright.
Louis L’Amour (1908-1988)
American novelist.
Louis Auchincloss (1917-)
American novelist.
Louis Dudek (1918-)
Canadian poet.
Louis Johnson (1924-1988)
New Zealand poet.
Luis Bernardo Honwana (1942-)
Mozambiquen author.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Ludovico Castelvetro (1505-1571)
Italian literary critic.
Louis-Georges-Oudard-Feudrix de Bréquigny (1714-1794)
French historian.
Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894)
Hungarian political reformer.
Louis Braille (1809-1852)
French educator. Developed a type of print for the blind.
Louis Blanc (1811-1882)
French socialist.
Luigi Carlo Farini (1812-1866)
Italian statesman.
Ludwig Bamberger (1823-1899)
German economist.
Ludwig Büchner (1824-1899)
German philosopher.
Ludwig Friedländer (1824-1909)
German historian.
Ludwig Gumplowicz (Ludwik Gumplowicz) (1838-1909)
Polish sociologist.
Louis-Marie-Olivier Duchesne (1843-1922)
French church historian.
Ludwig Quidde (1858-1941)
German historian. Winner of the 1927 Nobel Prize for Peace.
Lodewijk van Deyssel (1864-1952)
Dutch literary critic.
Louis Couturat (1868-1914)
French philosopher.
Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973)
German economist.
Louis Lavelle (1883-1951)
French philosopher.
Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977)
German economist.
Louis S.B. Leakey (1903-1972)
Kenyan archeologist.
Louis Rasminsky (1908-1998)
Canadian economist.

Fictional Characters:
Louie
Disney character. Nephew of Donald Duck.
Luigi Mario
From a popular Nintendo video game, Super Mario Brothers, and its sequels.

Miscellaneous:
Ludovico de Varthema (1465-1517)
Italian traveler to the Middle East.
Louis Granmont (1650-1686)
French pirate.
Louis Juchereau de Saint-Denis (1676-1744)
French explorer of the Americas.
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811)
French explorer of the South Pacific.
Louis Fréron (1754-1802)
French journalist.
Louis-Sebastien Leonormand (1757-1839)
First person to descend in a parachute.
Louis Renault (1843-1918)
French co-winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize for Peace.
Luigi Robecchi-Bricchetti (1855-1926)
Italian explorer of Africa.
Louis Bonaparte (1856-1879)
Son of Napoleon III. Killed in battle.
Louis Blanc (1872-1936)
French aviator. First to cross an ocean in a plane.
Ludwig Mylius-Erichsen (1872-1907)
Danish explorer of Greenland.
Louis Renault (1877-1944)
French automobile manufacturer.
Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941)
French-American automobile manufacturer.
Louis Wirth (1897-1952)
American sociologist.
Louis Buchalter (1897-1944)
American crime boss. Founder of Murder, Inc.
Lou Gehrig (1903-1941)
American baseball player.
Louis Farrakhan (1933-)
Leader of the Nation of Islam.
Lou Brock (1939-)
American baseball player.

Places:
Saint Louis
Missouri, United States.

Political Figures:
Ludwig Pfyffer (1524-1594)
Swiss political leader.
Louis-Henri, Princ de Condé (1692-1740)
Chief Minister of King Louis XV.
Ludwig, Graf von Cobenzl (1753-1809)
Austrian diplomat.
Lajos, Count Batthyány (1806-1849)
Hungarian statesman.
Louis Faidherbe (1818-1889)
Governor of French Senegal.
Luigi Pelloux (1839-1924)
Italian prime minister.
Ludwig Forrer (1845-1921)
President of Switzerland.
Luigi Facta (1861-1930)
Italian Prime Minister.
Luigi Einaudi (1874-1961)
Italian president.
Louis-Jean Malvy (1875-1949)
French politician tried for treason.
Ludwig Beck (1880-1944)
German general who tried opposing Hitler.
Ludvík Svobodo (1895-1979)
President of Czechoslovakia.
Louis Darquier de Pellepoix (1897-1945)
French politician and collaborator with the Nazis. Supposedly executed.
Louis Mountbatten (1900-1979)
British statesman.

Religious Figures:
Louis-Antoine de Noailles (1651-1729)
Famous archbishop of Paris.
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Founded the Daughters of Wisdom and the Company of Mary.

Royalty:
Clovis I (466-511)
Founder of the Frankish kingdom.
Clovis II (634-657)
King of Neustria and Burgundy.
Clovis III (682-695)
King of the Franks.
Louis I (778-840)
Son of Charlemagne. Called Louis the Pious.
Louis II (804-876)
Ruler of the East Franks. Called Louis the German.
Louis III (830-882)
Ruler of the East Franks. Called Louis the Younger.
Louis II (846-879)
Ruler of the West Franks. Called Louis the Stammerer.
Louis III of France (863-882)
Son of Louis the Stammerer.
Louis IV of France (921-954)
Called Louis from Overseas.
Louis V of France (967-987)
Called Louis the Do-Nothing. Died in a hunting accident.
Louis VI of France (1081-1137)
Called Louis the Fat.
Louis VII of France (1120-1180)
Called Louis the Younger. Fought with Henry II of England.
Louis VIII of France (1187-1226)
Called Louis the Lion.
Louis IX of France (1214-1270)
Called Saint Louis. Led the Seventh Crusade.
Louis IV (1283-1347)
Holy Roman Emperor.
Louis X of France (1289-1316)
Called Louis the Stubborn. Also King of Navarre.
Louis I of Hungary (Lajos) (1326-1382)
Called Louis the Great. Also King of Poland.
Louis XI of France (1423-1483)
Ruled from 1461 to 1483.
Louis XII of France (1462-1515)
Called Father of the People.
Louis XIII of France (1601-1643)
Called Louis the Just.
Louis XIV of France (1638-1715)
Called Louis the Great, or The Sun King. Builder of Versailles.
Louis of Spain (1707-1724)
Ruled seven months.
Louis XV of France (1710-1774)
Called Louis the Well-Beloved. An ineffectual ruler.
Louis XVI of France (1754-1793)
Executed during the Reign of Terror.
Louis XVIII of France (1755-17182495)
Brother of King Louis XVI. Regained the throne of France from 1814 to 1824.
Louis-Philippe of France (1773-1850)
King from 1830 to 1848.
Louis Bonaparte (1778-1846)
Brother of Napoleon. King of Holland.
Louis XVII of France (1785-1795)
Son of King Louis XVI. Declared king of France after his father’s execution, but never ruled.
Louis of Portugal (1838-1889)
Ruled from 1861 to 1889.

Scientists:
Ludovico Ferrari (1522-1565)
Italian mathematician.
Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton (1716-1800)
French naturalist.
Luigi Galvani (1737-1798)
Italian physicist.
Louis Bernard Guyton de Morveeau (1737-1816)
French chemist.
Louis-Jacques Thenard (1777-1857)
French chemist.
Luigi Cremona (1830-1903)
Italian mathematician.
Louis-Paul Cailletet (1832-1913)
French physicist.
Ludwig Mond (1839-1909)
German-British chemist.
Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann (1844-1906)
Austrian physicist.
Lajos Lóczy (1849-1920)
Hungarian geologist.
Louis Winslow Austin (1867-1932)
American physicist.
Ludwig Klages (1872-1956)
German psychologist.
Ludwig Prandtl (1875-1953)
Father of aerodynamics.
Ludwig Binswanger (1881-1966)
German psychiatrist.
Louis-Victor, Duc de Broglie (1892-1987)
French physicist. Winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Ludwig Gross (1904-1999)
Austrian-American cancer researcher.
Louis-Eugène-Félix Néel (1904-)
French physicist. Co-winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Louis J. Ignarro (1941-)
American pharmacologist. Co-winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

Singers and Entertainers:
Ludwig Fischer (1745-1825)
German opera singer.
Ludwig Devrient (1784-1832)
German actor.
Ludwig Dessoir (1810-1874)
German actor.
Louis Feuillade (1873-1925)
French filmmaker.
Louis B. Mayer (Eliezer Mayer) (1885-1957)
American filmmaker.
Louis Jouvet (1887-1951)
French actor.
Lou Costello (1908-1959)
American comedian.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.243 % named Louis
0.189 % named Luis
0.099 % named Lewis
0.018 % named Louie
0.005 % named Lou
0.004 % named Luigi

Popularity of Louis:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 35th most popular.
1850: 22nd most popular.
1875: 17th most popular.
1900-1910: 21st most popular.
1910-1920: 22nd most popular.
1920-1930: 30th most popular.
1930-1940: 43rd most popular.
1940-1950: 55th most popular.
1950-1960: 80th most popular.
1960-1970: 108th most popular.
1970-1980: 143rd most popular.
1980-1990: 161st most popular.
1990: 175th most popular.
1991: 189th most popular.
1992: 199th most popular.
1993: 197th most popular.
1994: 209th most popular.
1995: 215th most popular.
1996: 235th most popular.
1997: 236th most popular.
1998: 252nd most popular.
1999: 262nd most popular.
2000: 274th most popular.
2001: 274th most popular.
2002: 269th most popular.
2003: 278th most popular.

In France...
1900: 2nd most popular.
1910: 4th most popular.
1920: 7th most popular.
1930: 14th most popular.
1940: 21st most popular.
1950: 44th most popular.
1960: 81st most popular.
1970: 136th most popular.
1980: 151st most popular.
1990: 84th most popular.
2000: 13th most popular.

Popularity of Louie:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 264th most popular.
1910-1920: 265th most popular.
1920-1930: 300th most popular.
1930-1940: 327th most popular.
1940-1950: 346th most popular.
1950-1960: 420th most popular.
1960-1970: 505th most popular.
1970-1980: 604th most popular.
1980-1990: 891st most popular.
1990: 873rd most popular.
1991: 913th most popular.
1992: N/A

Popularity of Luigi:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 561st most popular.
1910-1920: 921st most popular.
1920-2000: N/A

In France...
1900-1959: N/A
1960: 193rd most popular.
1962: 198th most popular.
1920-2000: N/A

Popularity of Ludwig:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 414th most popular.
1910-1920: 735th most popular.
1920-2000: N/A

Popularity of Clovis:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 867th most popular.
1910-1920: 785th most popular.
1920-1930: 724th most popular.
1930-1940: 912th most popular.
1940-2000: N/A

In France...
1900: 157th most popular.
1910: 190th most popular.
1920: 140th most popular.
1930: 197th most popular.
1936: 166th most popular.
1940-2000: N/A

Popularity of Lew:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 946th most popular.
1910-2000: N/A