Total births
332,950
Girls' name · since 1880
Lois
332,950 babies named Lois in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1927. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1682
- among girls today
- 332,950
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other girls
Lois currently ranks #1682 among girls' names in America, with 332,950 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Lois recorded 332,950 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1682 nationally today, ahead of 91% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1682 among girls today
- 332,950 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 91% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lois is currently the #1682 girls' name in America, more common than 91% of girls - 332,950 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1682
- among girls today
- 332,950
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other girls
Lois vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1682
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 91% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Lois was born in this single decade.
1927
Single peak year
10,505 babies were named Lois in 1927 - its busiest year on record.
How Lois compares
332,950 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lois's all-time total is 872x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lois | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 332,950 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,505 | 48 | 19,840 |
Lois's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lois's full recorded timeline at 1953, 13% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 87% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 53 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1927 peak of 10,505 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lois at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1927
Current rank
#1,682
Active since
1880
Lois popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1927)
- 10,505
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lois popularity over time - boys
2,644 total births recorded since 1892 (Lois as boys' name)
Lois by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Lois's strongest decade.
88,133 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Lois births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 954
1880s
954 births
- 1890s 3,228
1890s
3,228 births
- 1900s 7,691
1900s
7,691 births
- 1910s
1910s
38,179 births
- 1920s
1920s
88,133 births
- 1930s
1930s
80,713 births
- 1940s
1940s
56,854 births
- 1950s
1950s
36,200 births
- 1960s 13,254
1960s
13,254 births
- 1970s 2,884
1970s
2,884 births
- 1980s 1,397
1980s
1,397 births
- 1990s 930
1990s
930 births
- 2000s 783
2000s
783 births
- 2010s 1,023
2010s
1,023 births
- 2020s 727
2020s
727 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 88,133 births (26% of all-time use).
How Lois compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Lois's total volume
Lois vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Lois by state
Where Lois concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 27,236 | 8.2% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 19,976 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 18,563 | 5.6% |
| #4 | New York | | 18,182 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 13,617 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 13,592 | 4.1% |
| #7 | California | | 11,674 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 10,844 | 3.3% |
Pennsylvania share of Lois's total US births 8.2%
Even split
27,236 of 332,950 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Lois appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lois? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 332,950 babies named Lois. Today it holds rank #1682 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1927, with 10,505 births.
When was Lois most popular? ▼
Lois was most popular in the 1920s decade with 88,133 total births. The single peak year was 1927.
Where is Lois most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lois are Pennsylvania (27,236 births), Illinois (19,976 births), Ohio (18,563 births).
How long has the name Lois been used? ▼
Records for Lois go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Lois? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Loise, Loida, Loie, Loisann, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Lois's data
- Lois's decade-level peak was the 1920s (88,133 total births); usage has since declined to 727 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Loiss (27,236 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lois
Nearby Names Like Lois
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lois
Loise Girl
818 births
Loida Girl
695 births
Loie Girl
232 births
Loisann Girl
184 births
Loistine Girl
85 births
Compare Lois side by side: Lois vs Loise Lois vs Loida Lois vs Loie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lois
Lucinda #1681
38,401 births · Peak 1957
Roma #1683
8,286 births · Peak 1930
Harlowe #1680
994 births · Peak 2024
Echo #1684
4,829 births · Peak 1984
Diya #1679
5,079 births · Peak 2009
Carlee #1685
12,982 births · Peak 2009
Lilyanna #1678
5,065 births · Peak 2011
Asia #1686
32,491 births · Peak 1997
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lois: #1682 Girls' Name - 332,950 Births, Peak 1927." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lois. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lois draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.