Louis is the French form of the Old Frankish given name Chlodwig and one of two English forms, the other being Lewis ().
Etymology
The name Louis (through the intermediate form Clovis) is derived from the Frankish name ᚺᛚᛟᛞᛟᚹᛁᚷ (in runic alphabet) or *Hlōdowik or *Hlōdowig (in Latin alphabet). Traditionally, this name is considered to be composed of two elements, derived from both Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz ("loud, famous") and *wiganą ("to battle, to fight") respectively, resulting in the traditional practice of translating Clovis' name as meaning "famous warrior" or "famous in battle".
However, scholars have pointed out that Gregory of Tours consequently transcribes the names of various Merovingian royal names containing the first element as chlodo-. The use of a close-mid back protruded vowel (o), rather than the expected close back rounded vowel (u) which Gregory does use in various other Germanic names (i.e. Fredegundis, Arnulfus, Gundobadus, etc.) opens up the possibility that the first element instead derives from Proto-Germanic *hlutą ("lot, share, portion"), giving the meaning of the name as "loot bringer" or "plunder (bringing) warrior". This hypothesis is supported by the fact that if the first element is taken to mean "famous", then the name of Chlodomer (one of Clovis' sons) would contain two elements (*hlūdaz and *mērijaz) both meaning "famous", which would be highly uncommon within the typical Germanic name structure.Julius Pokorny (1959), Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern.Nederlandse Voornamenbank, Lodewijk, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meertens Institute.
Variant forms
Ancient Germanic: Chlodovech, Clodovicus, Ludovicus, Clovis, Hludowig (Loudovik) , Koldo , Loïc
(Lyudovik)
Chinese: 路易 (Lùyì) , Alojz , Alois, Luděk , Lodvig
, Lodvig, Lodovig, Lutwidge , Luĉjo
(Khlodvigi), ლუდვიგი (ludvigi), ლუდოვიკო(ludoviko), ლუი (lui) , Aloysius, Lutz (Loudovíkos), Λοΐζος(Loizos)
Hindi: लुइस (Lu'is) , Alajos
Italian: Aloigi, Aloisio, Luigi, Lodovico, Ludovico, Gigi, Gigio, Gigino, Gino, Luigino, Vico Venetian: Alvise Lombard: Ginetto Japanese: ルイ(Rui) Korean: 루이 (Lui), 루이스 (Luiseu)
, Ludis, Ludvigs, Luijs, Luiss, Luī, Aloizs, Aloiss , Aloyzas, Liudas (Ludvig), Луј (Luj), Људевит (Ljudevit) Medieval Occitan: Aloys, Aloysius , Lodve Occitan: Loís Persian: لویی , Alojzy (Luiz is an archaic form), Luisinho Provençal: Louïs, Louei, Louvis Punjabi: ਲੂਯਿਸ (Lūyis)
(Lyudovik) Scottish Gaelic: Luthais Sicilian: Luiggi, Ludovicu (Luj), Људевит (Ljudevit) , Alojz , Alojzij, Ludvik , Ludovico , Ludde Tamil: லூயிஸ் (Lūyis) Telugu: లూయిస్ (Lūyis) Thai: หลุยส์ (H̄luys̄̒) (Lyudovyk) Welsh: Lewis, Lewys
Feminine variants Arabic: لويز Belarusian: Луіза (Luiza) Chinese Simplified: 路易丝 (Lùyìsī) Chinese Traditional: 路易絲 (Lùyìsī) Croatian: Alojzija Danish: Louise Dutch: Louisa, Louise, Ludovica English: Louise, Louisa, Lou, Louella, Lula, Luella, Lulu, Lua Estonian: Loviise Finnish: Loviisa French: Lou, Louise, Louisette German: Aloisia, Louisa, Luise, Lulu, Luisa Greek: Λουίζα (Louíza) Gujarati: લુઇસ (Lu'isa) Hebrew: לואיז Hindi: लुइस (Lu'isa) Hungarian: Lujza Italian: Lodovica, Ludovica, Luigia, Luisa, Gigia, Gina, Ginetta, Luigina, Luisella Japanese: ルイーザ (Ruīza), ルイ (Rui) Kannada: ಲೂಯಿಸ್ (Lūyis) Korean: 루이사 (Luisa) Lithuanian: Liudvika Maori: Ruiha Macedonian: Лујза (Lujza), Лојза (Lojza) Mongolian: Луиза (Luiza) Nepali: लुइस (Lu'isa) Norwegian: Lovise Persian: لوئیس Polish: Ludwika, Luiza Portuguese: Luisa, Luiza Romanian: Luiza Serbian: Луиз (Luiz) Slovak: Alojzia Slovene: Alojzija Spanish: Luisa, Luisana, Luisel, Luisina, Luisita Swedish: Lovisa, Lova Tamil: லூயிஸ் (Lūyis) Telugu: లూయిస్ ( Lūyis) Thai: หลุยส์ (H̄luys̄̒) Ukrainian: Луїза (Luyiza) Urdu: لوئیس
Arts and entertainment Louis (singer) (1952–2011), Serbian singer Louis Anthony deLise (born 1949), American composer, arranger, and record producer Louis Akin (1868–1913), American painter and illustrator Lou Albano (1933–2009), Italian wrestler, manager and actor Louie Anderson (1953–2022), American stand-up comedian and actor Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), American jazz musician Louis Bannet (1911–2002), Dutch trumpeter Louis C.K. (born 1967), American comedian Louis Cachet (born 1973), Norwegian musician Louis Calabro (1926–1991), Italian American orchestral composer Louis Calhern (1895–1956), American actor Louis Cheung (born 1980), Hong Kong singer, songwriter, and actor Louis Clark (1947–2021), English musical arranger and keyboard player Louis Cole (born 1983), English YouTuber Louis Cole (born 1986), American musician Lou Costello (1906–1959), American comedian Louis Daguerre (1787–1851), French artist and photographer Louis Deland (1772–1823), Swedish ballet dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and ballet master Lou Dobbs (1945–2024), CNN anchor Louis C. Elson (1848–1920), music critic, music historian, author, composer, editor, journalist, and professor of music theory Lou Ferrigno (born 1951), American bodybuilder and actor Louis Edwin Fry Sr. (1903–2000), American architect and professor Louis Gallodier (1734–1803), ballet master and choreographer Louis Gossett Jr. (1936–2024), American actor Louis Hughes (1832–1913), American author Louis Johnson (bassist) (1955–2015), American bass player and singer, member of The Brothers Johnson Louis Jordan (1908–1975), pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician and songwriter Louis Jourdan (1921–2015), French actor Louis Jouvet (1887–1951), French actor and director Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974), American architect Louis Koo (born 1970), Hong Kong actor, singer and film producer Louis L'Amour (1908–1988), American author of Western fiction Louis Logic, American underground rapper Louis Masreliez (1748–1810), French-born Swedish painter and interior designer Louis Pearl (born 1958), American entertainer, known as "The Amazing Bubble Man" Louis Prima (1910–1978), Italian American jazz and swing musician and trumpeter Louis Rukeyser (1933–2006), American economic commentator Lou Diamond Phillips (born 1962), American actor Lou Rawls (1933–2006), American musician Lou Reed (1942–2013), American musician Louis Sachar (born 1954), American author of children's books Louis Spohr (1784–1859), German composer Louis Sullivan (1856–1924), American architect Louis Theroux (born 1970), British television broadcaster Louis Tomlinson (born 1991), English singer-songwriter. Louis Van Lint (1909–1986), Belgian artist Louis Vuitton (designer) (1821–1892), French fashion designer Louis Wain (1860–1936), British artist who drew cats Louis Walsh (born 1952), Irish entertainment manager Louis Yuen (born 1967), Hong Kong actor
Politics Louis A. Bloom (1900–1988), Pennsylvania State Representative and Judge Louis Borno, President of Haiti during United States occupation of Haiti Louis Brandeis (1856–1941), American Supreme Court justice and Zionist leader Louis Philippe de Bombelles, Austrian count and diplomat Louis Conradt, politician from Texas, investigated by To Catch a Predator Louis DeJoy (born 1957), American businessman and current postmaster general of the United States Louis René Édouard, cardinal de Rohan (1734–1803), French religious leader and politician Louis Farrakhan (born 1933), Afro-American social leader Louis De Geer (1818–1896), Sweden's first prime minister; baron, statesman and writer Louis De Geer (1910–1987), Swedish diplomat Gerhard Louis De Geer, known as Louis De Geer (1854–1935), Swedish prime minister Louis "Louie" Gohmert (born 1953), Texas politician and U.S. Congressman Louis Lucien Hunter, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician Louis Alphonse Koyagialo, Prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo Louis St. Laurent (1882–1973), Canadian politician who served as the 12th prime minister of Canada Louis Lingg (1864–1887), German anarchist arrested after Haymarket Square bombing Louis Michel (born 1947), Belgian politician Louis Riel (1844–1885), Canadian politician, a founder of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis Louis Eugène Roy (1861–1939), President of Haiti Louis Waldman (1892–1982), Ukrainian-American lawyer and New York City politician Louis L. Winston (1784–1824), justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
Royalty
Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Germany Louis the Pious, Emperor and King of the Franks from 814 to his death. Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor, eldest son of the emperor Lothair I Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, maternal grandson of the emperor Louis II Louis the German (Louis II), the third son of the emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife Louis the Child (Louis III), the last true Carolingian ruler of East Francia Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Kings of France Louis the Pious, Emperor and King of the Franks from 814 to his death Louis the Stammerer, the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans Louis III of France, king of Western Francia Louis IV of France, king of France from 936 to 954 Louis V of France, son of the Frankish King Lothair and his wife Emma Louis VI of France, King of France from 1108 to 1137 Louis VII of France, King of France from 1137 to 1180 Louis VIII of France, King of France from 1223 to 1226 Louis IX of France, King of France from 1226 to 1270 Louis X of France, King of France from 1314 to 1316 Louis XI, King of France from 1461 to 1483 Louis XII, King of France from 1498 to 1515 Louis XIII, King of France and Navarre from 1610 to 1643 Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715 Louis XV, King of France and Navarre from 1715 to 1774 Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791 Louis XVII, the son of King Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre from 1815 to 1824 Louis XIX, aka Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, King of France and Navarre for twenty minutes in 1830 before his abdication Louis Philippe I, King of the French from 1830 to 1848
Other French royalty Louis (948–), Prince of France and son of King Louis IV of France Louis, Count of Évreux (1276–1319), Prince of France Louis of France (1264–1276), Prince of France and heir apparent of France Louis (1309–1328), Count of Chartres Louis I, Count of Nevers (1272–1322), Count of Nevers and Rethel his son, Louis I, Count of Flanders (–1346), Count of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel Louis I of Anjou (1339–1384), Prince of France and Duke of Anjou Louis Charles, Count of Beaujolais (1779–1808), "Louis Charles Alphonse Léodgard d'Orléans," Count of Beaujolais Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (1279–1341), "Louis the Lame," Duke of Bourbon Louis II, Duke of Bourbon (1337–1410), "Louis de Bourbon," "Louis the Good," Duke of Bourbon Louis, Duke of Guyenne (1397–1415), Dauphin of Viennois and Duke of Guyenne Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours (1814–1896), Prince Louis of Orléans, Duke of Nemours Louis I, Duke of Orléans (1372–1407), Duke of Orléans and Touraine See also Louis d'Orléans Louis, Grand Dauphin (1661–1711), Prince of France his son, Louis, Duke of Burgundy (1682–1712), "Petit Dauphin," Prince of France Louis Ferdinand (1729–1765), Dauphin of France his son, Louis Joseph Xavier, Duke of Burgundy (1751–1761), Dauphin of France Louis I, Prince of Condé (1530–1569), "Louis I de Bourbon," Prince of Condé Louis, Grand Condé (1621–1686), "Louis II de Bourbon," "The Great Condé," Prince of Condé Louis III, Prince of Condé (1668–1710), Prince of Condé Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse (1678–1737) Louis de La Blaume Le Blanc (1667–1683), "Louis de Bourbon," "Légitimé de France," Count of Vermandois, "Louis of Vermandois" Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (1692–1740), "Louis Henri Joseph," "Louis IV," Prince de Condé his son, Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé (1736–1818), "Louis Joseph de Bourbon," "Louis V Joseph," Prince de Condé