Louis (given name)

Louis

Louis XIV, King of France (1643–1715)
Pronunciation	/ˈluːi/ LOO-ee /ˈluːɪs/ LOO-iss French: [lwi]
Gender	Male
Language	French and English
Origin
Word/name	French
Meaning	"Famed warrior" or "loot bringer"
Other names
Derived	Louise
Related names	Louie, Clovis, Lewis, Ludovico, Luigi, Luis, Ludvig, Ludwig, Ludwik, Lodewijk, Lodewyk, Alois
See also	Lothar Robert, name with a similar meaning

Louis is the French form of the Old Frankish given name Chlodwig and one of two English forms, the other being Lewis (/ˈluːɪs/).

Etymology

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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".^{[unreliable source?]}

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.

Variant forms

• Afrikaans: Lodewyk, Ludwig, Louis
• Arabic: لويس
• Albanian: Luigj, Ludovik
• Ancient Germanic: Chlodovech, Clodovicus, Ludovicus, Clovis, Hludowig
• Armenian: Լուդովիկ (Loudovik)
• Basque: Aloxi, Koldobika, Luki, Koldo
• Breton: Loeiz, Loïc
• Bengali: লুইস, লুডউইগ, romanized: Luis/Luish, Luduig
• Bulgarian: Людовик (Lyudovik)
• Catalan: Lluís
• Chinese: 路易 (Lùyì)
• Croatian: Alojzije, Ljudevit, Ludovik, Luj, Alojz
• Czech: Ludvík, Alois, Luděk
• Danish: Ludvig, Lodvig
• Dutch: Lodewijk, Lode, Loe, Lowieke, Ludo
• English: Louis, Louie, Lou, Lewis, Lewes, Lewie, Lew, Lewy or Luey; Ludovic, Lodvig, Lodovig, Lutwidge
• Esperanto: Ludoviko, Luĉjo
• Faroese: Ludvík
• French: Louis, Ludovic, Clovis
• Galician: Lois, Luís
• Georgian: ხლოდვიგი (Khlodvigi), ლუდვიგი (ludvigi), ლუდოვიკო(ludoviko), ლუი (lui)
• German: Ludwig, Alois, Aloysius, Lutz
• Greek: Λουδοβίκος (Loudovíkos), Λοΐζος(Loizos)
• Hawaiian: Lui
• Hindi: लुइस (Lu'is)
• Hungarian: Lajos, Alajos
• Irish: Alaois, Alabhaois, Laoiseach, Lughaidh
• Indonesian: Aloysius, Louis, Ludowikus, Luis
• Icelandic: Loðvík
• 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)
• Latin: Ludovicus, Aloysius
• Latvian: Ludviķis, Ludis, Ludvigs, Luijs, Luiss, Luī, Aloizs, Aloiss
• Lithuanian: Liudvikas, Aloyzas, Liudas
• Macedonian: Лудвиг (Ludvig), Луј (Luj), Људевит (Ljudevit)
• Medieval Occitan: Aloys, Aloysius
• Norwegian: Ludvig, Lodve
• Occitan: Loís
• Persian: لویی
• Polish: Ludwik, Alojzy
• Portuguese: Luís, Aloísio, Aluísio, Ludovico (Luiz is an archaic form), Luisinho
• Provençal: Louïs, Louei, Louvis
• Punjabi: ਲੂਯਿਸ (Lūyis)
• Romanian: Aloisiu, Ludovic
• Russian: Людовик (Lyudovik)
• Scottish Gaelic: Luthais
• Sicilian: Luiggi, Ludovicu
• Serbian: Луј (Luj), Људевит (Ljudevit)
• Slovak: Ľudovít, Alojz
• Slovene: Alojz, Lojze, Ljudevit, Luj, Alojzij, Ludvik
• Spanish: Luis, Ludovico
• Swedish: Ludvig, Love, Ludde
• Tamil: லூயிஸ் (Lūyis)
• Telugu: లూయిస్ (Lūyis)
• Thai: หลุยส์ (H̄luys̄̒)
• Ukrainian: Людовик (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

Science and innovation

• Louis Blériot (1872–1936), French aviator and inventor
• Louis Braille (1809–1852), inventor of braille
• Louis de Broglie (1892–1987), French physicist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Louis E. Brus (1943–2026), American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Louis Ignarro (born 1941), American pharmacologist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Louis Leakey (1903–1972), British paleontologist
• Louis Lliboutry (1922–2007), French-Chilean glaciologist
• Louis Mink (1921–1983), American philosopher of history
• Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), French microbiologist and chemist, discoverer of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization
• Louis Le Prince (1841–disappeared 1890), French inventor, Father of Cinematography
• Louis Schoonhoven (born 1931), Dutch entomologist
• Louis Slotin (1910–1946), Canadian physicist and chemist
• Louis Wirth (1897–1952), American sociologist

Sports

• Louis Almond (born 1992), English footballer
• Louis Babrow (1915–2004), South African rugby union player
• Louis Baise (1927–2020), South African Olympic wrestler
• Louis Bullard (1956–2010), American football player
• Louis Campbell (born 1979), American basketball player
• Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), racing driver and the founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company
• Louis Unser (1896–1979), American race car driver and Hillclimb racer
• Louis Delétraz (born 1997), Swiss race car driver
• Louis Clarke (1901–77), American Olympic track champion
• Louis Ford (footballer) (1914–1980), Welsh footballer
• Louis van Gaal (born 1951), Dutch footballer and manager
• Louis Greene (born 1992), English professional boxer
• Louis Hubert (born 2007), French para-cyclist
• Louis Iglesias (born 2008), French racing driver
• Louis Jani (born 1957), Canadian judoka
• Louis Kaplan (1901–1970), nicknamed "Kid Kaplan", Russian-born American world champion Hall of Fame featherweight boxer
• Louis King (basketball) (born 1999), American basketball player
• Louis Klotz (1921–2014), nicknamed "Red", American NBA basketball player and owner of the Washington Generals and New York Nationals
• Louis Lundgren (1901–1976), Danish sprinter
• Louis Moore (American football) (born 2001), American football player
• Louis Pilot (1940–2016), Luxembourgian footballer and manager
• Louis Riddick (born 1969), American football broadcaster and former player
• Louis Rubenstein (1861–1931), Canadian world champion Hall of Fame figure skater
• Louis Saha (born 1978), French footballer
• Louis Sharp (born 2007), New Zealand racing driver
• Louis Smith (gymnast) (born 1989), English gymnast

Other occupations

• Louis de Barth (1764–1844), Franco-American Roman Catholic priest
• Louis Edmund Blaze (1861–1951), Sri Lankan Burgher educationist, founder of Kingswood College, Kandy, Sri Lanka
• Louis Botha (1862–1919), South African politician, first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, one of the principal commanders of the Second Boer War
• Louis Brouillard (1921–2018), American Catholic priest
• Louis Congo (c. 1725), emancipated slave, appointed public executioner of Louisiana
• Louis Le Duff, French billionaire businessman
• Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, French general during World War I
• Louis V. Gerstner Jr. (born 1942), chairman and CEO of IBM
• Louis Antoine Godey (1804–1878), American editor and publisher
• Louis Jolliet (1645–1700), French explorer, one of the first Europeans to reach the northern part of the Mississippi River
• Louis Kealoha, former Chief of the Honolulu Police Department and convicted felon
• Louis-Frédéric Lescure (1904–1993), French industrialist
• Louis Mountbatten (1900–1979), last Viceroy of India and first Governor-General of independent India, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II
• Louis Palander (1842–1920), Swedish naval officer
• Louis Pio (1841–1894), Danish political figure
• Louis (parrot), parrot from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, well-provided for by owner's will after her death in 1949
• Louis H. Pollak (1922–2012), American district court judge and dean of Yale Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Louis Pope (b.1947), American businessman
• Louis Potgieter (1951–1991), German-South African singer
• Louis Claude Purser (1854–1932), Irish classical scholar
• Louis Ruquoy, Chief of Staff of the Belgian Army during the second part of the First World War
• Louis Sabunji (1838–1931), Syriac Catholic priest and journalist
• Louis B. Schwartz (1913–2003), American law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Louis Segond (1810–1885), Swiss theologian
• Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp (born 1994), heir apparent to earldom
• Louis Vuitton (1821–1892), French fashion designer and businessman
• Louis Zamperini (1917–2014), American World War II veteran, Christian evangelist and an Olympic distance runner, best known for being a Japanese POW survivor.

Fictional characters

• Louis de Pointe du Lac, character in the Vampire Chronicles novels by Anne Rice
• Louis the Alligator, a character from the animated film The Princess and the Frog
• Louis Huang, character played by Randall Park in Fresh Off the Boat
• Louis Litt, character played by Rick Hoffman in Suits
• Louis Tully, character played by Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II
• Louis Wu, character in the Ringworld books by Larry Niven
• Louis Guiabern, the main antagonist of Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Louis, one of the main protagonists of Left 4 Dead

See also

• Lewis
• Lois
• Louis (disambiguation)
• Louise
• Louie
• Ludwig
• Luis

References

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Louis".

Name list

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