Lou
Lou was the 1929th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 81 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 452nd; the most babies were born in 2025 (81). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,131 places. More babies were named Lou in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Louis or Louise · English, French, Germanic
Say it LOO /lu/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,929 boys, up 411 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 81boys
- Girls and boys
- 47% girls, 53% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202581 babies
- Total since 1880
- 38,198babies recorded
What does the name Lou mean?
Lou is a short form of Louis or Lewis for men and of Louise, Louisa or Lucille for women. Louis is a Germanic name from hlūd, "loud, famous", and wīg, "battle", and Louise is its feminine. DMNES records Louis as the name of many Frankish and French kings. In the US Lou has been given to both sexes and was most common as a first name in the mid-20th century.
hlūd (Old High German, “loud, famous”)wīg (Old High German / Old English, “battle”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Louis, Louise, Lewis, Louie, Lula.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lou', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Louis', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Lou (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Lou popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,674 | #1,929 | 65 | 81 |
| 2020 | #3,527 | #2,340 | 43 | 58 |
| 2010 | #10,203 | #5,633 | 11 | 16 |
| 2000 | #10,391 | #6,169 | 9 | 11 |
| 1990 | #7,138 | #2,747 | 12 | 24 |
| 1980 | #4,079 | #2,257 | 19 | 23 |
| 1970 | #849 | #1,326 | 159 | 40 |
| 1960 | #389 | #949 | 593 | 64 |
| 1950 | #395 | #1,306 | 414 | 31 |
| 1940 | #281 | #1,043 | 494 | 39 |
| 1930 | #306 | #1,383 | 468 | 28 |
| 1920 | #357 | #1,267 | 336 | 33 |
| 1910 | #318 | #723 | 144 | 18 |
| 1900 | #275 | #718 | 140 | 13 |
| 1890 | #210 | #710 | 132 | 9 |
| 1880 | #125 | #492 | 131 | 14 |
How popular is Lou, counting every spelling?
Lou is the most common spelling of a name family that had 81 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 81 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lou | 81 | #1,929 | 362 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lou?
81 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lou (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Lou 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 103 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lou.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lou?
About 2,300 people born in the US named Lou are alive today, with a median age of 45; half are between 11 and 66. That makes Lou mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. 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.
Lou by state
How common Lou was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (1.8×). In 43 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lou: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lou, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lou · Sibling names for Lou
Lou is also a nickname for Lewis, Elouise, Eloise, Louis, Louise and Louisa.
Questions about the name Lou
What does Lou mean?
Lou means “short form of Louis or Louise” (English, French, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Lou?
Lou was the 1929th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 81 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 452nd; the most babies were born in 2025 (81). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,131 places. More babies were named Lou in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Lou a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 47% girls, 53% boys given the name Lou in the US.
Where is Lou most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lou was most common in New York (0.08 per 1,000 boys), followed by Iowa and California.