2000
#1,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,552
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.88
Uncommon Last name
Louis
A French toponymic surname derived from the name of a place called Louis or a variant of Lewis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,077 Americans carry the last name Louis. That puts it at #1,315 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,396 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Louis surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Louis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,396
Census rank
#1,315
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,229 bearers of the surname Louis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1315th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Louis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Louis
The surname LOUIS finds its origin in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "Hlodovicus," which means "famous warrior." This name was popularized by the Frankish rulers of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, who bore the name Louis.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOUIS can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document mentions a landowner named Louis, indicating the presence of French nobility in England following the Norman Conquest.
During the High Middle Ages, the name LOUIS gained prominence in France with the reign of Louis IX (1214-1270), also known as Saint Louis. He was a pious and influential monarch who led the Seventh and Eighth Crusades and is renowned for his efforts to establish justice and promote the welfare of his subjects.
Another notable figure bearing the surname LOUIS was Louis XIV (1638-1715), the Sun King of France. His reign, which lasted over 72 years, was marked by the centralization of power, the construction of the Palace of Versailles, and the expansion of French territories through military campaigns.
In the realm of literature, Louis Hémon (1880-1913), a French-Canadian author, is best known for his novel "Maria Chapdelaine," which portrays the lives of settlers in rural Quebec. His work is celebrated for its authentic depiction of the French-Canadian experience.
The name LOUIS also made its mark in the world of science with Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), a French biologist and chemist. He is renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries in the field of microbiology, including the pasteurization process and the development of vaccines against rabies and anthrax.
Throughout history, the surname LOUIS has been associated with various places and regions, such as Louiseville, a town in Quebec, Canada, named after Louis XIV, and the U.S. state of Louisiana, which derives its name from Louis XIV as well.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Louis
Among Census respondents with the surname Louis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Louis bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Louis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.5% · 17,961
- White19.3% · 5,061
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 1,207
- Two or more races3.7% · 969
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 777
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 254
Timeline
Historical Census data for Louis
Louis appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,738
+5,186 bearers (+28.0%)
Per 100,000 8.05
Rank movement Up 261 places
2020
#1,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,229
+2,491 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 8.78
Rank movement Up 195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,771 | 18,552 | 6.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,510 | 23,738 | 8.05 | +5,186 bearers (+28.0%) | Up 261 places |
| 2020 | #1,315 | 26,229 | 8.78 | +2,491 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 195 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Louis surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,510 | #1,315 | 12.9% |
| Count | 23,738 | 26,229 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 8.05 | 8.78 | 9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Louis bearers went from 23,738 to 26,229 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 195 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,510 to #1,315.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Louis
FAQ
Louis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Louis?
Name Census estimates that about 30,077 living Americans carry the surname Louis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,396 residents.
How common is Louis?
Louis ranks #1,315 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,229 people with the surname Louis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Louis.
Has Louis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Louis went from 23,738 recorded bearers to 26,229. That is an increase of 2,491 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,510 to #1,315.
What does the Census say about the background of Louis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Louis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Louis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (17,961 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Louis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.5%), White (19.3%), Hispanic (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Louis (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Louis mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from the name of a place called Louis or a variant of Lewis. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Louis (8.78 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Louis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.