Given name & surname
Louise
“a famous warrior”
In German use, Louise carries the interpretation “a famous warrior.”
Original GermanLuise
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Louise carries the interpretation “a famous warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
Louise is used as a feminine counterpart of Louis.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In French use, Louise is a feminine form of Louis. The history of Louis gives this family its wider story. Louis has a history of use among French royal or aristocratic families.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Louise through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 338,662
- 2,196 boys · 336,466 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 9,226 babies
- 2025
- 579
- #516 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +41%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 579 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 516 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 40.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,180 in 1921. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (40). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 96,368 as a first name in 2020; 792 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Louise’s family of names
In French usage, Louise has a diminutive in Lou. In French usage, Louise is a feminine form of Louis. In French usage, Louise has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Luisa.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Louise has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 47
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Luisevariant · German
- Annaluisevariant · German
- Louiediminutive · English
- Louisavariant
- Luellavariant
- Luisavariant · Italian
- Loudiminutive · French, English
- Louellavariant
Show 39 moreShow fewer
- Luludiminutive · English
- Luizavariant
- Luellevariant
- Lovisavariant
- Luvariant
- Mariloudiminutive · French
- Louloudiminutive · French
- Louisettediminutive · French
- Lulydiminutive · English
- Lollydiminutive · English
- Loringvariant
- Luiginavariant
- Luellvariant
- Loycevariant
- Ludovicavariant
- Louizavariant
- Louisianavariant
- Loisevariant
- Louisselikely variant
- Llouiselikely variant
- Wiskediminutive · Dutch
- Lisendiminutive · Swedish
- Lovisevariant · Norwegian Nynorsk
- Lodoiskavariant
- Lilkavariant
- Ludkavariant
- Liklavariant
- Luijzikavariant
- Ludkhannahvariant
- Lujzikavariant
- Lujzavariant
- Ludwigavariant
- Ludovikavariant
- Loyisevariant
- Lowisevariant
- Louisinevariant
- Louisianevariant
- Louisinavariant
- Louisettavariant
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 22
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Louise
- Louise GlückU.S. poet and Nobel laureate (1943–2023)
- Louise FletcherAmerican actress (1934–2022)
- Louise MichelFrench author and anarchist (1830-1905)
- Louise BourgeoisFrench-American artist (1911-2010)
- Louise LabéFrench poet of the Renaissance, born in Lyon (1524–1566)
- Alexandra David-NéelFrench explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, Taoist, anarchist and writer1868–1969
- Louise BrooksAmerican actress (1906–1985)
- Louise of SwedenQueen consort of Denmark; wife of Frederick VIII of Denmark1851–1926
- Louise Brownfirst in-vitro babyborn 1978
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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