Ludwig
Ludwig was given to 12 boys in 2025, #7,040 among boys’ names; 2,696 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ludwig by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ludwig mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ludwig is “a male given name from German.”
Borrowed from German Ludwig, which see for more information. Doublet of Louis etc.
/ˈludvɪɡ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ludwig?
#7,040 among boys’ names, 2025
Ludwig fell from #6,555 in 2015 to #7,040 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 6.8 to 7.0 per million.
88 babies in 1916, the peak
Ludwig peaked in 1916, when 88 boys were given it, #625 among boys’ names. The 12 births of 2025 are 14% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #7,040 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 10 | #8,095 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 9 | #8,652 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 9 | #8,717 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 13 | #6,540 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 8 | #9,223 | under 0.01 |
| 2018 | 11 | #7,426 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 6 | #11,623 | under 0.01 |
| 2016 | 8 | #9,360 | under 0.01 |
| 2015 | 13 | #6,555 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (142)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7 | #10,305 | under 0.01 |
| 2013 | 12 | #6,864 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 10 | #7,905 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,508 | under 0.01 |
| 2010 | 5 | #13,488 | under 0.01 |
| 2009 | 10 | #8,070 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 6 | #11,988 | under 0.01 |
| 2007 | 7 | #10,451 | under 0.01 |
| 2006 | 8 | #9,248 | under 0.01 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7,449 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 9 | #7,934 | under 0.01 |
| 2002 | 7 | #9,020 | under 0.01 |
| 2001 | 5 | #11,637 | under 0.01 |
| 2000 | 9 | #7,177 | under 0.01 |
| 1999 | 7 | #8,375 | under 0.01 |
| 1998 | 7 | #8,108 | under 0.01 |
| 1997 | 6 | #8,834 | under 0.01 |
| 1996 | 11 | #5,393 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 6 | #8,455 | under 0.01 |
| 1994 | 9 | #6,151 | under 0.01 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,596 | under 0.01 |
| 1992 | 9 | #5,938 | under 0.01 |
| 1991 | 10 | #5,336 | under 0.01 |
| 1990 | 6 | #7,723 | under 0.01 |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,988 | under 0.01 |
| 1988 | 15 | #3,453 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,619 | under 0.01 |
| 1986 | 6 | #6,406 | under 0.01 |
| 1985 | 5 | #7,158 | under 0.01 |
| 1984 | 7 | #5,333 | under 0.01 |
| 1983 | 12 | #3,544 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 11 | #3,838 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,955 | under 0.01 |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,959 | under 0.01 |
| 1979 | 8 | #4,672 | under 0.01 |
| 1978 | 9 | #4,040 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 9 | #4,034 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 9 | #3,886 | 0.01 |
| 1975 | 6 | #5,190 | under 0.01 |
| 1974 | 9 | #3,728 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 10 | #3,266 | 0.01 |
| 1971 | 7 | #4,210 | under 0.01 |
| 1970 | 8 | #3,707 | under 0.01 |
| 1969 | 8 | #3,476 | under 0.01 |
| 1968 | 16 | #2,077 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 10 | #2,708 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 11 | #2,565 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 17 | #1,967 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 13 | #2,371 | 0.01 |
| 1963 | 23 | #1,680 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 13 | #2,324 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 15 | #2,198 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 8 | #3,236 | under 0.01 |
| 1959 | 15 | #2,167 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 17 | #1,992 | 0.01 |
| 1957 | 21 | #1,772 | 0.01 |
| 1956 | 15 | #2,139 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 19 | #1,825 | 0.01 |
| 1954 | 16 | #2,015 | 0.01 |
| 1953 | 24 | #1,569 | 0.01 |
| 1952 | 18 | #1,835 | 0.01 |
| 1951 | 17 | #1,880 | 0.01 |
| 1950 | 13 | #2,161 | 0.01 |
| 1949 | 19 | #1,736 | 0.01 |
| 1948 | 11 | #2,394 | 0.01 |
| 1947 | 27 | #1,437 | 0.01 |
| 1946 | 21 | #1,584 | 0.01 |
| 1945 | 20 | #1,517 | 0.01 |
| 1944 | 18 | #1,660 | 0.01 |
| 1943 | 18 | #1,744 | 0.01 |
| 1942 | 20 | #1,615 | 0.01 |
| 1941 | 19 | #1,622 | 0.02 |
| 1940 | 25 | #1,352 | 0.02 |
| 1939 | 28 | #1,259 | 0.03 |
| 1938 | 38 | #1,057 | 0.03 |
| 1937 | 38 | #1,047 | 0.04 |
| 1936 | 38 | #1,040 | 0.04 |
| 1935 | 37 | #1,071 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 33 | #1,163 | 0.03 |
| 1933 | 44 | #957 | 0.04 |
| 1932 | 39 | #1,084 | 0.04 |
| 1931 | 49 | #932 | 0.05 |
| 1930 | 37 | #1,166 | 0.03 |
| 1929 | 46 | #1,002 | 0.04 |
| 1928 | 41 | #1,108 | 0.04 |
| 1927 | 60 | #878 | 0.05 |
| 1926 | 50 | #973 | 0.05 |
| 1925 | 39 | #1,137 | 0.03 |
| 1924 | 54 | #958 | 0.05 |
| 1923 | 53 | #946 | 0.05 |
| 1922 | 66 | #848 | 0.06 |
| 1921 | 54 | #957 | 0.05 |
| 1920 | 61 | #884 | 0.06 |
| 1919 | 67 | #795 | 0.07 |
| 1918 | 67 | #800 | 0.07 |
| 1917 | 78 | #685 | 0.08 |
| 1916 | 88 | #625 | 0.10 |
| 1915 | 75 | #674 | 0.09 |
| 1914 | 58 | #671 | 0.09 |
| 1913 | 49 | #640 | 0.10 |
| 1912 | 34 | #745 | 0.08 |
| 1911 | 23 | #659 | 0.10 |
| 1910 | 16 | #771 | 0.08 |
| 1909 | 9 | #1,056 | 0.05 |
| 1908 | 20 | #572 | 0.13 |
| 1907 | 6 | #1,282 | 0.04 |
| 1906 | 9 | #892 | 0.07 |
| 1905 | 15 | #627 | 0.11 |
| 1904 | 5 | #1,325 | 0.04 |
| 1903 | 13 | #641 | 0.11 |
| 1902 | 13 | #637 | 0.11 |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,151 | 0.05 |
| 1900 | 10 | #881 | 0.07 |
| 1899 | 10 | #689 | 0.09 |
| 1898 | 5 | #1,237 | 0.04 |
| 1897 | 16 | #508 | 0.14 |
| 1896 | 12 | #659 | 0.10 |
| 1895 | 15 | #545 | 0.13 |
| 1894 | 6 | #1,030 | 0.05 |
| 1893 | 15 | #493 | 0.13 |
| 1892 | 12 | #623 | 0.10 |
| 1891 | 7 | #812 | 0.07 |
| 1890 | 10 | #651 | 0.09 |
| 1889 | 7 | #854 | 0.06 |
| 1888 | 6 | #1,003 | 0.05 |
| 1887 | 5 | #1,005 | 0.05 |
| 1886 | 11 | #590 | 0.10 |
| 1885 | 8 | #740 | 0.07 |
| 1884 | 9 | #684 | 0.08 |
| 1883 | 6 | #850 | 0.06 |
| 1882 | 6 | #907 | 0.05 |
| 1880 | 9 | #666 | 0.08 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Ludwig a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Ludwig has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 142 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Ludwig: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ludwig, and how old are they?
An estimated 787 Americans named Ludwig and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (29% of everyone recorded); the median is 50 years old and half are between 24 and 71. An estimate from SSA’s births and life tables, not a count.
The 2020 Census counted 1,572 people named Ludwig (9 women and girls, 1,563 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 867 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.8 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Ludwig born?
The states with the most babies named Ludwig are New York, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, with 75% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Minnesota is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 400 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 179 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Minnesota | 66 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Illinois | 58 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| New Jersey | 56 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 29 | not ranked | 0.2× |
| Wisconsin | 28 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Texas | 17 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| North Dakota | 12 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| California | 7 | not ranked | 0.1× |
Where Ludwig is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ludwig is most over-represented in New York: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Ludwig with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Ludwig
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Ludwig and names like it
- Compare Ludwig and WaldoBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sLudwig peaked in 1916.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ludwig since 1910.
- German namesWiktionary’s origin for Ludwig: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1916The year the most babies were named Ludwig.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Ludwig alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.