Lewis
Lewis was the 433rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 736 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 30th; the most babies were born in 1921 (2,712). Over the last ten years it has moved up 135 places. More babies were named Lewis in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning famous in battle · Germanic, English
Say it LOO-is /ˈluːɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #433 boys, up 64 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 736boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19212,712 babies
- Total since 1880
- 156,636babies recorded
What does the name Lewis mean?
Lewis is the old English spelling of Louis. Wiktionary traces it through Middle English and Anglo-Norman to Old French Louis and the Frankish name Hludowig. DMNES derives the Frankish name from Germanic hlud, "loud, famous", and wig, "battle", so roughly "famous in battle". Lewis is also a common surname: in Wales it was used for the native name Llywelyn, and in Scotland it can come from the Isle of Lewis. The writer Lewis Carroll is a famous bearer of the spelling.
*Hlūdawīg (Frankish, “famous + battle”)hlūt (Old High German, “loud; famous”)wīc (Old High German, “war, battle”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Frankish elements are reconstructed; the surname Lewis can also come from Welsh Llywelyn or the Isle of Lewis.
Related names: Louis, Luis, Lou, Lew.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean warrior, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lewis', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Louis', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wikipedia, 'Lewis (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Lewis
The usual nicknames for Lewis are Lew, Lou and Louie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Lewis in the last five years, 65 were named Louie, against 26 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lew | Traditional | #13,142 | 22 |
| Lou · also for Elouise, Eloise, Louis | Traditional | #1,929 | 362 |
| Louie · also for Louis, Louise | Traditional | #596 | 2,188 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lewiss go by each one.
Lewis popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 870 since 1892.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #433 | 736 |
| 2020 | #497 | 588 |
| 2010 | #715 | 326 |
| 2000 | #573 | 357 |
| 1990 | #398 | 579 |
| 1980 | #305 | 646 |
| 1970 | #236 | 999 |
| 1960 | #204 | 1,398 |
| 1950 | #132 | 2,027 |
| 1940 | #107 | 1,900 |
| 1930 | #87 | 2,243 |
| 1920 | #72 | 2,688 |
| 1910 | #65 | 555 |
| 1900 | #52 | 469 |
| 1890 | #51 | 375 |
| 1880 | #30 | 517 |
How popular is Lewis, counting every spelling?
Lewis has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #435 for boys in 2025, against #433 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Chosen/Chozen/Chozyn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Lewis?
736 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lewis (0.20 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Lewis born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lewis.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lewis?
About 61,100 people born in the US named Lewis are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 35 and 73. That makes Lewis a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lewis by state
How common Lewis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Montana (5.6×), Alaska (5.4×), Minnesota (3.8×), Utah (3.1×), Wisconsin (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Nevada, Florida.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lewis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lewis, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lewis · Sibling names for Lewis
Questions about the name Lewis
What does Lewis mean?
Lewis means “famous in battle” (Germanic, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lewis?
Lewis was the 433rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 736 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 30th; the most babies were born in 1921 (2,712). Over the last ten years it has moved up 135 places. More babies were named Lewis in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Lewis a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Lewis in the US.
Where is Lewis most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lewis was most common in Montana (2.15 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and Minnesota.