US rank #236 Boys' name Peak 1921 405,059 births

Louis — #236 US boys' name

405,059 babies named Louis in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s82751890s84421900s103721910s506001920s676931930s477541940s494291950s479311960s333781970s201471980s173551990s144352000s102612010s118132020s7174
#236
of 14,243 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.

What the Data Says About Louis

The Social Security Administration has registered 405,059 babies named Louis between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Louis currently holds the #236 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 7,247 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Louis performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 67,693 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Louis shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 59,782 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Louis in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Louis in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 405,059 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Louis at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

405,059

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

7,247 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#236

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Louis popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1921)
7,247
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
02,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 828

Louis popularity over time — girls

2,841 total births recorded since 1880 (Louis as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 2,841 births
020406080 202319871971195519391923190718911880 5

Louis by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
67,693 births that decade — 17% of Louis's all-time total
1880s82751890s84421900s103721910s506001920s676931930s477541940s494291950s479311960s333781970s201471980s173551990s144352000s102612010s118132020s7174

Louis by state

Where Louis concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Louis
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
59,782 14.8%
#2 Pennsylvania
31,311 7.7%
#3 California
24,052 5.9%
#4 Texas
21,796 5.4%
#5 New Jersey
21,100 5.2%
#6 Illinois
20,445 5.0%
#7 Ohio
15,876 3.9%
#8 Louisiana
15,726 3.9%
New York share of Louis's total US births 14.8%
Even split

59,782 of 405,059 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?
405,059 babies have been named Louis since 1880. It currently ranks #236 among boys. The peak year 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 (59,782 births), Pennsylvania (31,311 births), California (24,052 births).
How long has the name Louis been used?
Louis has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Louis

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.