Meaning not yet researched.
Lou: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 81 in 2025. Its best rank was #452 in 1881.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #452 in 1881; #1,929 in 2025. About 55% of babies named Lou in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,929 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1881, at #452.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Lou: US boys and girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 81 boys in 2025. Peak: #452 in 1881 · most boys in one year: 81 (2025).
In 2025, 81 US boys were named Lou, making it the 1,929th most common boys’ name of the year, up 196 places from #2,125 in 2024. That is 11 more than the 70 boys named Lou in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #452, reached in 1881. The most boys given the name in a single year was 81, in 2025. For comparison, it was #3,060 in 2015 and #1,306 in 1950.
In 2025, 65 US girls were named Lou, making it the 2,674th most common girls’ name of the year, down 153 places from #2,521 in 2024. That is 6 fewer than the 71 girls named Lou in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #125, reached in 1880. The most girls given the name in a single year was 1,495, in 1954. For comparison, it was #4,808 in 2015 and #395 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Lou in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 145 babies with the name. In all, 38,198 US babies have been given the name, 89% of them girls and 11% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 9,597 babies named Lou.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 578 US boys were named Lou; the busiest of those years was 2025, with 81. In 2025 that was about 1 in 21,087 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Lou ranked highest in Iowa in 2025, at #637 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Lu (4,081 babies since 1880), Louie (33,338 babies since 1880), Lue (7,169 babies since 1880) and Loy (4,983 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Loa, Loye and Loie are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Louis and Lu.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in French. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Loa (904), Loye (621), Loie (232), Lui (164), Loui (149), Louay (129), Loay (86), Lo (86), Loah (69), Loi (65), Loai (62), Loey (38), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 44 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 5 | #637 | — |
| Minnesota | 5 | #886 | — |
| Michigan | 6 | #1,064 | — |
| New York | 7 | #1,506 | — |
| Florida | 6 | #1,762 | — |
| California | 7 | #2,111 | — |
| Texas | 6 | #2,459 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 65 | #2,674 | 81 | #1,929 |
| 2024 | 71 | #2,521 | 70 | #2,125 |
| 2023 | 69 | #2,575 | 74 | #2,040 |
| 2022 | 62 | #2,772 | 76 | #2,013 |
| 2021 | 54 | #3,053 | 61 | #2,290 |
| 2020 | 43 | #3,527 | 58 | #2,340 |
| 2019 | 40 | #3,760 | 44 | #2,836 |
| 2018 | 39 | #3,823 | 32 | #3,488 |
| 2017 | 30 | #4,652 | 37 | #3,167 |
| 2016 | 35 | #4,208 | 45 | #2,710 |
| 2015 | 29 | #4,808 | 38 | #3,060 |
| 2014 | 22 | #5,909 | 27 | #3,854 |
| 2013 | 15 | #8,014 | 24 | #4,136 |
| 2012 | 18 | #7,045 | 18 | #5,169 |
| 2011 | 16 | #7,655 | 27 | #3,855 |
| 2010 | 11 | #10,203 | 16 | #5,633 |
| 2009 | 5 | #19,031 | 22 | #4,526 |
| 2008 | 6 | #16,659 | 13 | #6,632 |
| 2007 | 6 | #16,741 | 13 | #6,484 |
| 2006 | 9 | #12,018 | 20 | #4,619 |
| 2005 | 14 | #8,157 | 21 | #4,281 |
| 2004 | 10 | #10,380 | 16 | #5,158 |
| 2003 | 10 | #10,122 | 10 | #7,044 |
| 2002 | 8 | #11,742 | 13 | #5,604 |
| 2001 | 8 | #11,606 | 20 | #4,056 |
| 2000 | 9 | #10,391 | 11 | #6,169 |
| 1999 | 6 | #13,684 | 8 | #7,585 |
| 1998 | 8 | #10,713 | 11 | #5,693 |
| 1997 | 7 | #11,548 | 14 | #4,596 |
| 1996 | — | — | 14 | #4,530 |
| 1995 | — | — | 13 | #4,695 |
| 1994 | 7 | #11,264 | 20 | #3,415 |
| 1993 | 10 | #8,433 | 14 | #4,371 |
| 1992 | 9 | #9,190 | 19 | #3,413 |
| 1991 | 6 | #12,432 | 24 | #2,793 |
| 1990 | 12 | #7,138 | 24 | #2,747 |
| 1989 | 13 | #6,377 | 18 | #3,281 |
| 1988 | 11 | #6,919 | 10 | #4,639 |
| 1987 | 13 | #5,795 | 16 | #3,144 |
| 1986 | 13 | #5,625 | 11 | #4,027 |
| 1985 | 12 | #5,886 | 19 | #2,661 |
| 1984 | 19 | #4,095 | 19 | #2,586 |
| 1983 | 18 | #4,206 | 13 | #3,345 |
| 1982 | 29 | #3,061 | 22 | #2,313 |
| 1981 | 30 | #2,954 | 16 | #2,846 |
| 1980 | 19 | #4,079 | 23 | #2,257 |
| 1979 | 40 | #2,366 | 25 | #2,080 |
| 1978 | 38 | #2,372 | 25 | #1,998 |
| 1977 | 43 | #2,177 | 17 | #2,614 |
| 1976 | 48 | #1,896 | 20 | #2,299 |
| 1975 | 49 | #1,864 | 21 | #2,176 |
| 1974 | 63 | #1,543 | 19 | #2,245 |
| 1973 | 92 | #1,181 | 29 | #1,636 |
| 1972 | 101 | #1,108 | 25 | #1,803 |
| 1971 | 134 | #955 | 38 | #1,392 |
| 1970 | 159 | #849 | 40 | #1,326 |
| 1969 | 165 | #803 | 29 | #1,514 |
| 1968 | 169 | #770 | 32 | #1,379 |
| 1967 | 171 | #754 | 29 | #1,431 |
| 1966 | 186 | #725 | 39 | #1,212 |
| 1965 | 225 | #657 | 33 | #1,350 |
| 1964 | 277 | #599 | 48 | #1,106 |
| 1963 | 382 | #496 | 38 | #1,267 |
| 1962 | 396 | #487 | 47 | #1,130 |
| 1961 | 473 | #447 | 54 | #1,063 |
| 1960 | 593 | #389 | 64 | #949 |
| 1959 | 706 | #358 | 57 | #1,024 |
| 1958 | 851 | #314 | 67 | #932 |
| 1957 | 884 | #309 | 72 | #895 |
| 1956 | 1,066 | #259 | 54 | #1,025 |
| 1955 | 1,225 | #232 | 49 | #1,081 |
| 1954 | 1,495 | #204 | 52 | #1,042 |
| 1953 | 1,434 | #208 | 36 | #1,255 |
| 1952 | 569 | #345 | 40 | #1,178 |
| 1951 | 440 | #391 | 55 | #946 |
| 1950 | 414 | #395 | 31 | #1,306 |
| 1949 | 441 | #374 | 35 | #1,222 |
| 1948 | 439 | #379 | 39 | #1,154 |
| 1947 | 510 | #355 | 56 | #950 |
| 1946 | 478 | #343 | 47 | #995 |
| 1945 | 399 | #341 | 48 | #934 |
| 1944 | 463 | #314 | 38 | #1,080 |
| 1943 | 456 | #330 | 39 | #1,097 |
| 1942 | 536 | #293 | 47 | #981 |
| 1941 | 506 | #286 | 39 | #1,043 |
| 1940 | 494 | #281 | 39 | #1,043 |
| 1939 | 502 | #278 | 47 | #911 |
| 1938 | 532 | #274 | 30 | #1,211 |
| 1937 | 539 | #269 | 26 | #1,332 |
| 1936 | 506 | #271 | 26 | #1,309 |
| 1935 | 522 | #269 | 29 | #1,266 |
| 1934 | 559 | #263 | 24 | #1,414 |
| 1933 | 534 | #265 | 38 | #1,066 |
| 1932 | 540 | #270 | 45 | #987 |
| 1931 | 463 | #290 | 40 | #1,074 |
| 1930 | 468 | #306 | 28 | #1,383 |
| 1929 | 474 | #309 | 28 | #1,363 |
| 1928 | 425 | #320 | 44 | #1,051 |
| 1927 | 489 | #304 | 37 | #1,190 |
| 1926 | 417 | #323 | 29 | #1,370 |
| 1925 | 395 | #338 | 41 | #1,101 |
| 1924 | 381 | #349 | 37 | #1,199 |
| 1923 | 343 | #358 | 35 | #1,229 |
| 1922 | 350 | #349 | 40 | #1,130 |
| 1921 | 320 | #377 | 28 | #1,435 |
| 1920 | 336 | #357 | 33 | #1,267 |
| 1919 | 313 | #361 | 21 | #1,674 |
| 1918 | 371 | #335 | 31 | #1,278 |
| 1917 | 338 | #338 | 45 | #975 |
| 1916 | 308 | #351 | 39 | #1,036 |
| 1915 | 285 | #354 | 31 | #1,175 |
| 1914 | 227 | #348 | 38 | #894 |
| 1913 | 199 | #342 | 17 | #1,293 |
| 1912 | 212 | #315 | 22 | #981 |
| 1911 | 153 | #317 | 9 | #1,249 |
| 1910 | 144 | #318 | 18 | #723 |
| 1909 | 140 | #307 | — | — |
| 1908 | 147 | #293 | 15 | #701 |
| 1907 | 124 | #313 | 12 | #798 |
| 1906 | 100 | #334 | — | — |
| 1905 | 143 | #276 | 13 | #688 |
| 1904 | 117 | #297 | 7 | #1,028 |
| 1903 | 133 | #266 | 11 | #722 |
| 1902 | 121 | #286 | 6 | #1,094 |
| 1901 | 96 | #304 | 7 | #906 |
| 1900 | 140 | #275 | 13 | #718 |
| 1899 | 125 | #253 | 13 | #569 |
| 1898 | 156 | #236 | 10 | #726 |
| 1897 | 114 | #267 | 13 | #601 |
| 1896 | 130 | #247 | 10 | #759 |
| 1895 | 125 | #253 | 9 | #774 |
| 1894 | 118 | #253 | 12 | #615 |
| 1893 | 137 | #223 | 10 | #683 |
| 1892 | 137 | #222 | 9 | #778 |
| 1891 | 109 | #231 | 8 | #741 |
| 1890 | 132 | #210 | 9 | #710 |
| 1889 | 120 | #210 | 17 | #453 |
| 1888 | 169 | #173 | 10 | #679 |
| 1887 | 147 | #167 | 10 | #615 |
| 1886 | 129 | #178 | 9 | #674 |
| 1885 | 135 | #158 | 13 | #537 |
| 1884 | 146 | #145 | 10 | #644 |
| 1883 | 142 | #136 | 11 | #577 |
| 1882 | 131 | #137 | 10 | #627 |
| 1881 | 114 | #138 | 15 | #452 |
| 1880 | 131 | #125 | 14 | #492 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).