Luis
Luis was the 144th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,475 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 49th; the most babies were born in 2007 (8,054). Over the last ten years it has moved down 36 places. More babies were named Luis in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning famous in battle (Spanish form of Louis) · Spanish, Germanic
Say it loo-EES /luˈis/
- Rank in 2025
- #144 boys, down 7 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,475boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20078,054 babies
- Total since 1880
- 294,500babies recorded
What does the name Luis mean?
Luis is the Spanish form of Louis. DMNES derives Louis from the Germanic name Hludwig, made of hlud, 'loud; famous', and wig, 'battle', so 'famous in battle'. Wikipedia notes that the name came to Iberia with the Visigoths in forms such as Hludowig and Chlodovech. Wikipedia notes the Portuguese and Galician Luís and Catalan Lluís, and the name's other relatives include Italian Luigi, German Ludwig and English Lewis. Luisa is the feminine.
hlūt (Old High German, “loud; famous”)wīg (Old High German, “battle, war”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Louis, Luís, Luigi, Ludwig, Lewis, Luisa, Clovis.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean warrior, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Louis', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Luis', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Luis', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Luis
The usual nicknames for Luis are Lucho.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucho · also for Luciano | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Luiss go by each one.
Luis popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,541 since 1920, 7 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #144 | 2,475 |
| 2020 | #137 | 2,705 |
| 2010 | #79 | 5,128 |
| 2000 | #49 | 7,662 |
| 1990 | #66 | 5,795 |
| 1980 | #88 | 3,359 |
| 1970 | #145 | 2,284 |
| 1960 | #209 | 1,335 |
| 1950 | #252 | 656 |
| 1940 | #367 | 241 |
| 1930 | #297 | 372 |
| 1920 | #401 | 216 |
| 1910 | #442 | 39 |
| 1900 | #523 | 21 |
| 1890 | #789 | 8 |
| 1880 | #548 | 12 |
How popular is Luis, counting every spelling?
Luis has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #159 for boys in 2025, against #144 on the official list, because Elliot/Elliott/Eliot and Kayson/Kaison/Kaysen and Nico/Niko/Nikko move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Luis?
2,475 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Luis (0.69 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Luis 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Luis.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Luis?
About 269,100 people born in the US named Luis are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 18 and 39. That makes Luis mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Luis by state
How common Luis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.8×), New Mexico (2.7×), Texas (2.3×), California (1.9×), Nevada (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Delaware, North Dakota, Michigan.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Luis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Luis, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Luis · Sibling names for Luis
Questions about the name Luis
What does Luis mean?
Luis means “famous in battle (Spanish form of Louis)” (Spanish, Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Luis?
Luis was the 144th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,475 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 49th; the most babies were born in 2007 (8,054). Over the last ten years it has moved down 36 places. More babies were named Luis in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Luis a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Luis in the US.
Where is Luis most popular?
In 2021–2025, Luis was most common in Arizona (4.49 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and Texas.