Total births
336,466
Girls' name · since 1880
Louise
Louise has 336,466 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #540
- among girls today
- 336,466
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Louise is the #540 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 336,466 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Louise recorded 336,466 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #540 nationally today, ahead of 97% 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.
- #540 among girls today
- 336,466 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Louise is currently the #540 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 336,466 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #540
- among girls today
- 336,466
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Louise vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#540
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Louise was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
9,180 babies were named Louise in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Louise compares
336,466 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
Louise's all-time total is 881x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Louise | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 336,466 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,180 | 48 | 19,840 |
Louise's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Louise's full recorded timeline at 1953, 12% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 88% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2006, with just 90 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 9,180 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Louise at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#540
Active since
1880
Louise popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 9,180
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Louise popularity over time - boys
2,196 total births recorded since 1881 (Louise as boys' name)
Louise by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Louise's strongest decade.
82,895 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Louise births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 9,596
1880s
9,596 births
- 1890s 15,174
1890s
15,174 births
- 1900s 22,862
1900s
22,862 births
- 1910s
1910s
67,973 births
- 1920s
1920s
82,895 births
- 1930s
1930s
49,859 births
- 1940s
1940s
38,665 births
- 1950s 25,852
1950s
25,852 births
- 1960s 10,894
1960s
10,894 births
- 1970s 2,918
1970s
2,918 births
- 1980s 1,965
1980s
1,965 births
- 1990s 1,295
1990s
1,295 births
- 2000s 1,035
2000s
1,035 births
- 2010s 2,489
2010s
2,489 births
- 2020s 2,994
2020s
2,994 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 82,895 births (25% of all-time use).
How Louise 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 Louise's total volume
Louise vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Louise by state
Where Louise concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 26,539 | 7.9% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 21,164 | 6.3% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 15,339 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 12,307 | 3.7% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 12,103 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 12,021 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Alabama | | 11,586 | 3.4% |
| #8 | South Carolina | | 11,109 | 3.3% |
New York share of Louise's total US births 7.9%
Even split
26,539 of 336,466 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Louise appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Louise? ▼
Louise has been given to 336,466 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #540 as of the latest data. 9,180 babies were born in 1921, its single highest year.
When was Louise most popular? ▼
Louise was most popular in the 1920s decade with 82,895 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Louise most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Louise are New York (26,539 births), Pennsylvania (21,164 births), Georgia (15,339 births).
How long has the name Louise been used? ▼
Louise has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Louise? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lou, Louisa, Lourdes, Louella, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Louise's data
- Louise's decade-level peak was the 1920s (82,895 total births); usage has since declined to 2,994 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Louises (26,539 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 Louise
Nearby Names Like Louise
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Louise
Lou Girl
#2508 34,109 births
Louisa Girl
#732 21,932 births
Lourdes Girl
#2754 14,805 births
Louella Girl
#1466 13,958 births
Louann Girl
#13622 5,197 births
Compare Louise side by side: Louise vs Lou Louise vs Louisa Louise vs Lourdes
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Louise
Faye #539
72,142 births · Peak 1943
Amber #541
374,690 births · Peak 1986
Jimena #538
17,034 births · Peak 2016
Makayla #542
108,030 births · Peak 2008
Jordan #537
135,599 births · Peak 1997
Zahra #543
9,395 births · Peak 2025
Briana #536
97,120 births · Peak 1994
Margo #544
27,208 births · Peak 1954
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. "Louise: #540 Girls' Name - 336,466 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/louise. 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 Louise 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.