US rank #538 Girls' name Peak 1921 335,882 births

Louise — #538 US girls' name

335,882 babies named Louise 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.

1880s95961890s151741900s228621910s679731920s828951930s498591940s386641950s258531960s108931970s29181980s19651990s12952000s10352010s24892020s2411
#538
of 17,661 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.

What the Data Says About Louise

The Social Security Administration has registered 335,882 babies named Louise between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Louise currently holds the #538 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 9,180 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Louise performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 82,895 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Louise shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 26,502 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Georgia. In total, SSA state-level files list Louise in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Louise 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 335,882 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.

Louise at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

335,882

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

9,180 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#538

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Louise popularity over time — girls

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

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1921)
9,180
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,00010,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 635

Louise popularity over time — boys

2,196 total births recorded since 1881 (Louise as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 2,196 births
020406080 202219801963194919351921190718931881 5

Louise by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
82,895 births that decade — 25% of Louise's all-time total
1880s95961890s151741900s228621910s679731920s828951930s498591940s386641950s258531960s108931970s29181980s19651990s12952000s10352010s24892020s2411

Louise by state

Where Louise concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Louise
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
26,502 7.9%
#2 Pennsylvania
21,140 6.3%
#3 Georgia
15,315 4.6%
#4 Illinois
12,283 3.7%
#5 North Carolina
12,087 3.6%
#6 Massachusetts
11,998 3.6%
#7 Alabama
11,575 3.4%
#8 South Carolina
11,100 3.3%
New York share of Louise's total US births 7.9%
Even split

26,502 of 335,882 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?
335,882 babies have been named Louise since 1880. It currently ranks #538 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 9,180 births.
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 (26,502 births), Pennsylvania (21,140 births), Georgia (15,315 births).
How long has the name Louise been used?
Louise has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Louise

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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.