Lou - A very unique male name
Lou at a glance
Lou is ranked #1840 among boy baby names in 2025, with 42 births in 2025. It peaked in 1957 at #868 and first appeared on the charts in 1915.
- Rank in 2025
- #1840
- Births in 2025
- 42
- Peak year
- 1957 (#868)
- First appeared
- 1915
- Trend
- #2822 in 2020 → #1840 in 2025 (Rising)
- Popularity
- 1 in 34,912 boys
- Visitor rating
- 4.4/5 (16 recent votes)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration · Data through 2025 · Updated 2026
With that position 1 in 34,912 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Lou peaked in popularity 69 years ago in 1957 on position 868.
Famous with this name
Lou Ferrigno
Lou Goossens
Lou Romano
How would you rate Lou, 1-5?
Lou is currently topping the charts in...
Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Lou is currently topping the baby name charts in Iowa at position #637 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,459.Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Lou is where you live.
Comment and discuss
Lou origin and meaning
Germanic — short form of Louis
A short form of Louis, from Germanic Chlodowig — hlud, 'famous', and wig, 'battle': 'famous warrior'
Lou is the clipped form of Louis that became a name in its own right, carried by Lou Gehrig and Lou Reed. Standalone use for boys dates to 1915 and stayed tiny for a century. It is now at its highest use ever, riding the fashion for short vintage nicknames as full names.
Attested etymology
Lou is a 3 letter name with 1 syllables.
To see famous people named Lou, pop culture references for the name Lou and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.Similar to Lou
We've found the following names that sound similar to Lou, sorted by popularity.
Leo / Lee / Lyle / Lowell / Louie / Loyal / Loy / Lael / Lew / Lio /Name statistics
Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better
understanding of how popular or unique this name is.
With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually
differ a lot from state to state.
Chart position per year (visualized)
Chart position per state (visualized)
Chart position per year (table view)
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1840 |
| 2024 | 3338 |
| 2023 | 2288 |
| 2022 | 2420 |
| 2021 | 2244 |
| 2020 | 2822 |
| 2019 | 2976 |
| 2017 | 3369 |
| 2016 | 3631 |
| 2015 | 4173 |
| 2011 | 3375 |
| 1994 | 2745 |
| 1989 | 3249 |
| 1987 | 2739 |
| 1985 | 2087 |
| 1984 | 1990 |
| 1980 | 1912 |
| 1979 | 1864 |
| 1978 | 2211 |
| 1972 | 1711 |
| 1970 | 1679 |
| 1968 | 1270 |
| 1967 | 1373 |
| 1966 | 1228 |
| 1964 | 1141 |
| 1962 | 1202 |
| 1961 | 1041 |
| 1960 | 993 |
| 1959 | 1064 |
| 1958 | 972 |
| 1957 | 868 |
| 1956 | 1317 |
| 1955 | 1125 |
| 1954 | 1158 |
| 1953 | 1436 |
| 1952 | 1425 |
| 1951 | 1263 |
| 1947 | 1044 |
| 1946 | 1190 |
| 1945 | 1108 |
| 1943 | 1350 |
| 1942 | 1622 |
| 1940 | 1412 |
| 1939 | 1268 |
| 1935 | 1632 |
| 1933 | 1625 |
| 1931 | 1518 |
| 1929 | 1765 |
| 1928 | 1348 |
| 1926 | 1626 |
| 1924 | 1931 |
| 1923 | 1531 |
| 1918 | 1765 |
| 1917 | 1259 |
| 1916 | 1052 |
| 1915 | 1304 |
Chart position per state (table view)
| State | Rank |
|---|---|
| Iowa | 637 |
| Minnesota | 886 |
| Michigan | 1064 |
| New York | 1506 |
| Florida | 1762 |
| California | 2111 |
| Texas | 2459 |
Even more about Lou
These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.
Is Lou a common or unique name?
By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.What is the number of syllables for the name Lou?
1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.Pronunciation
LOO · /luː/
Around the world
- Louis (French) — The full French form Lou shortens
Spellings and nicknames
- Louis — The full name, a separate established entry
- Lew — A spelling variant of the same short form
- Louie — The expanded pet form, also a name in its own right
Nicknames: Lou
Famous bearers
- Lou Gehrig — American baseball legend, the 'Iron Horse' of the New York Yankees, born Henry Louis Gehrig and known to history as Lou (1903–1941) Historical
- Lou Reed — American rock musician and Velvet Underground frontman, born Lewis Reed and known as Lou Reed (1942–2013) Contemporary
Style
ClassicShort formNickname nameVintage revival
Why parents choose it
Parents choose Lou for a one-syllable vintage nickname with heavyweight bearers in sport and rock. After a century of tiny use it is at its peak now.
Worth knowing
- Many will treat it as unfinished — short for Louis, Lewis or Louie
- Also a common girls' middle-name element (Mary Lou), giving it a cross-gender vintage flavour
