Louis

How to say it

/ˈlu.i/

What it means

French form of Germanic Hludwig (hlud 'fame' + wig 'warrior'). Eighteen kings of France took the name, including Louis XIV the Sun King. The English Lewis is the same root.

Louis is the French form of the Germanic Hludwig (hlud 'famous' + wig 'warrior'). Eighteen kings of France were named Louis; the line includes Louis IX (Saint Louis), Louis XIV (the Sun King, 17th century), and Louis XVI (executed in the French Revolution). The Anglicized Lewis became standard in English. As a US given name Louis was strong in the 19th and early 20th centuries (Louis Armstrong, Louis Pasteur), faded mid-century, and is climbing again. The standard French pronunciation drops the final S (LOO-ee); American English sometimes sounds it (LOU-iss). Louis Tomlinson (One Direction) gave it a 2010s anchor. Lou is the universal short.

Heads-up notes

• Pronunciation

  Standard US: LOO-ee (French style, silent S). Some families say LOU-iss (English-Anglicized). Both are accepted.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Louis XIV The Sun King of France, longest-reigning monarch in European history, 1643-1715
• Louis Armstrong American trumpeter and singer, Satchmo, the founder of modern jazz
• Louis Pasteur French microbiologist, namesake of pasteurization

Spelling variants

• Lewis
• Luigi
• Ludwig

Names with the same feeling

• Henry Home ruler
• Edward Wealthy guardian
• George Farmer, earth-worker
• Arthur Bear, possibly 'bear-king'
• William Resolute protector

See Louis from another angle