The name Louis is the French form of the Latin Ludovicus, which itself originally came from the German name Ludwig, meaning 'famous warrior'. Its martial overtones have made it a popular name for rulers all over the world, most famously in France.
Louis is also commonly rendered into English as 'Lewis', reflecting the fact that the name is often pronounced in English with the final 's' sound which is mute in French. It is up for parents (and later, the child) to decide for themselves which pronunciation they prefer.
Famous people called Louis:
Louis, name given to 18 French kings and two pretenders to the throne
Louis Theroux, English documentary presenter
Louis C.K, American comedian, born Louis Szekely
Louis Braille, French inventor of Braille
Louis Armstrong, American jazz pioneer
Lewis Carroll, British author of Alice in Wonderland
Louis Prima, American jazz musician
Lou Reed, American musician, born Lewis Allan Reed
Louis Walsh, X Factor judge Can be shortened to:
Lou, Louie
Surnames to avoid Louis with:
If following the French pronunciation, surnames beginning with an 'ee' sound, ie. Eastman or Eden, might cause problems as when said aloud this combination of sounds may result in elision – when two words slurred together end up sounding like one.
Similar names:
Louis is a globally popular name, with Tamil, Chinese, Japanese and Punjabi variants. Some commn foreign versions include Luis (Spanish), Luigi (Italian), Lugwig (German) and Ludovic (Romanian). Similar English names include Lewis, Lucas and Luke.
Female variations:
English variations include: Louise, Louisa, Louella and Lula.
Celebrities who named their baby Louis:
Sandra Bullock, Ozzy Osbourne, Mel Gibson, Andy Serkis