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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Lois

Lois was the 1670th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 124 babies. Its best year was 1929, when it ranked 17th; the most babies were born in 1927 (10,505). Over the last ten years it has moved up 210 places. More babies were named Lois in the 1920s than in any other decade.

Meaning origin uncertain (New Testament) · Greek

Say it LOH-iss /ˈloʊɪs/

Rank in 2025
#1,670 girls, up 176 places since 2020
Babies in 2025
124girls
Girls and boys
Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
Peak year
192710,505 babies
Total since 1880
335,594babies recorded

What does the name Lois mean?

Lois is a Greek name of uncertain origin, as both DMNES and Wiktionary note. In the New Testament (2 Timothy 1:5), Lois is the grandmother of Timothy, praised for her faith. DMNES records it in England from the 1580s, when Puritans adopted biblical names, and Wiktionary notes it is unrelated to Louise. In the 20th century it became known as the name of Superman's Lois Lane.

Λωΐς (Lōis) (Koine Greek, “Lois”)

How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES: of uncertain origin.

Other explanations you may read: A form of Louise.

See also: Greek names.

Sources for this meaning

Lois popularity since 1880

05k10k15k20k 1900192019401960198020002020
Girls Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.

A few boys are given the name too: 2,644 since 1892.

YearRank (girls)Babies (girls)
2025#1,670124
2020#1,846106
2010#2,60270
2000#2,09578
1990#1,61393
1980#972153
1970#427517
1960#1752,269
1950#834,504
1940#386,125
1930#1710,114
1920#386,560
1910#761,271
1900#115577
1890#178175
1880#21153

How popular is Lois, counting every spelling?

Lois has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,503 for girls in 2025, against #1,670 on the official list.

How many kids will share the name Lois?

124 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lois (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lois 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 68 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lois.

Chance of another Lois in a class of 20under 1 in 50US, born 2025
Most likely inIndianaunder 1 in 50 (2024)

Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.

How old are people named Lois?

About 96,500 people born in the US named Lois are alive today, with a median age of 77; half are between 69 and 84. That makes Lois a name most people associate with older generations.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

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.

Lois by state

How common Lois was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 31 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: 0.09 per 1,000 babiesWA0.09Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesMN0.05Illinois: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesIL0.05Michigan: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesMI0.03New York: 0.08 per 1,000 babiesNY0.08Massachusetts: fewer than 5 a yearMA–Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: fewer than 5 a yearNV–Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesIN0.05Ohio: 0.02 per 1,000 babiesOH0.02Pennsylvania: 0.02 per 1,000 babiesPA0.02New Jersey: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesNJ0.03Connecticut: fewer than 5 a yearCT–Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: 0.06 per 1,000 babiesCA0.06Utah: fewer than 5 a yearUT–Colorado: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesCO0.05Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: 0.13 per 1,000 babiesMO0.13Kentucky: 0.08 per 1,000 babiesKY0.08West Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearWV–Virginia: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesVA0.05Maryland: fewer than 5 a yearMD–Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesAZ0.04New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: 0.08 per 1,000 babiesTN0.08North Carolina: 0.07 per 1,000 babiesNC0.07South Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearSC–District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: fewer than 5 a yearLA–Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: fewer than 5 a yearAL–Georgia: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesGA0.04Hawaii: fewer than 5 a yearHI–Texas: 0.07 per 1,000 babiesTX0.07Florida: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesFL0.03
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Lois, girls, 2021–2025. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Lois: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lois, they share its era and feel.

Middle names for Lois · Sibling names for Lois

Questions about the name Lois

What does Lois mean?

Lois is usually explained as “origin uncertain (New Testament)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.

How popular is the name Lois?

Lois was the 1670th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 124 babies. Its best year was 1929, when it ranked 17th; the most babies were born in 1927 (10,505). Over the last ten years it has moved up 210 places. More babies were named Lois in the 1920s than in any other decade.

Is Lois a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lois in the US.

Where is Lois most popular?

In 2021–2025, Lois was most common in Missouri (0.13 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Kentucky.