Total births
406,470
Boys' name · since 1880
Louis
Louis has 406,470 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #236
- among boys today
- 406,470
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Louis currently ranks #236 among boys' names in America, with 406,470 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Louis has been recorded 406,470 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #236 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #236 among boys today
- 406,470 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Louis is currently the #236 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 406,470 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #236
- among boys today
- 406,470
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Louis vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#236
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Louis was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
7,247 babies were named Louis in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Louis compares
406,470 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Louis's all-time total is 1,108x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Louis | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 406,470 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,247 | 23 | 22,252 |
Louis's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Louis splits its recorded history at 1953: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (746 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 7,247 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Louis at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#236
Active since
1880
Louis popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 7,247
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Louis popularity over time - girls
2,847 total births recorded since 1880 (Louis as girls' name)
Louis by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Louis's strongest decade.
67,693 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Louis births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 8,275
1880s
8,275 births
- 1890s 8,442
1890s
8,442 births
- 1900s 10,372
1900s
10,372 births
- 1910s
1910s
50,600 births
- 1920s
1920s
67,693 births
- 1930s
1930s
47,754 births
- 1940s
1940s
49,430 births
- 1950s
1950s
47,933 births
- 1960s
1960s
33,382 births
- 1970s 20,145
1970s
20,145 births
- 1980s 17,354
1980s
17,354 births
- 1990s 14,436
1990s
14,436 births
- 2000s 10,262
2000s
10,262 births
- 2010s 11,815
2010s
11,815 births
- 2020s 8,577
2020s
8,577 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 67,693 births (17% of all-time use).
How Louis compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Louis's total volume
Louis vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Louis by state
Where Louis concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 59,888 | 14.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 31,373 | 7.7% |
| #3 | California | | 24,200 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 21,878 | 5.4% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 21,143 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 20,497 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 15,941 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 15,755 | 3.9% |
New York share of Louis's total US births 14.7%
Even split
59,888 of 406,470 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Louis appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Louis? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 406,470 babies named Louis. Today it holds rank #236 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1921, with 7,247 births.
When was Louis most popular? ▼
Louis was most popular in the 1920s decade with 67,693 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Louis most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Louis are New York (59,888 births), Pennsylvania (31,373 births), California (24,200 births).
How long has the name Louis been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Louis since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Louis? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Louie, Lou, Louise, Loukas, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Louis's data
- Louis's decade-level peak was the 1920s (67,693 total births); usage has since declined to 8,577 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Louiss (59,888 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Louis
Nearby Names Like Louis
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Louis
Louie Boy
#573 30,992 births
Lou Boy
#2120 4,089 births
Louise Boy
2,196 births
Loukas Boy
#3121 666 births
Louden Boy
#6621 572 births
Compare Louis side by side: Louis vs Louie Louis vs Lou Louis vs Louise
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Louis
Kyrie #235
18,612 births · Peak 2017
Elian #237
15,268 births · Peak 2025
Ismael #234
44,216 births · Peak 2024
Kairo #238
11,224 births · Peak 2025
Richard #233
2,577,552 births · Peak 1946
Cohen #239
23,040 births · Peak 2025
Malakai #232
17,830 births · Peak 2025
Nash #240
22,439 births · Peak 2021
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. "Louis: #236 Boys' Name - 406,470 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/louis. 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 Louis 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.