NameTides

Lou

Lou was the #1,919 boys' name in the US in 2025 (81 babies), and #4,275 in England & Wales and #346 in Canada.

Lou as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Canada
Lou as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020CanadaUSEngland & Wales
Lou as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.250.50.7511880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesCanada
2025#1,919 (81)#4,275 (4)#346 (96)
2024#2,120 (70)#5,120 (3)#397 (82)
2023#2,032 (74)—#444 (65)
2022#2,000 (76)—#408 (71)
2021#2,277 (61)—#363 (86)
2020#2,323 (58)—#468 (60)
2019#2,808 (44)#3,013 (6)#527 (53)
2018#3,446 (32)—#504 (55)
2017#3,123 (37)—#587 (45)
2016#2,689 (45)#4,810 (3)#622 (43)
2015#3,022 (38)—#748 (33)
2014#3,787 (27)#4,632 (3)#833 (28)
2013#4,064 (24)—#892 (25)
2012#5,035 (18)—#779 (30)
2011#3,792 (27)—#958 (22)

Lou as a girl’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Canada
Lou as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020CanadaUSEngland & Wales
Lou as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.511.521880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesCanada
2025#2,645 (65)#5,927 (3)#377 (81)
2024#2,508 (71)#4,844 (4)#394 (77)
2023#2,555 (69)#5,688 (3)#435 (67)
2022#2,756 (62)#4,646 (4)#295 (101)
2021#3,037 (54)#5,581 (3)#359 (91)
2020#3,498 (43)#5,493 (3)#387 (81)
2019#3,718 (40)—#394 (82)
2018#3,789 (39)#2,499 (10)#545 (57)
2017#4,576 (30)#4,063 (5)#444 (74)
2016#4,157 (35)—#433 (78)
2015#4,725 (29)#5,730 (3)#520 (59)
2014#5,797 (22)#3,160 (7)#580 (53)
2013#7,748 (15)—#724 (39)
2012#6,872 (18)—#865 (31)
2011#7,436 (16)—#957 (27)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1889 at #446.
  • Rising over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.
  • A comeback: it faded for decades and is rising again.
  • In 2025, 45% of US babies named Lou were girls.

How common is it?

about 1 in 21,000 baby boys in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USBoys2025about 1 in 21,000rare
England & WalesBoys2025about 1 in 67,000rare
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 1,700uncommon
USGirls2025about 1 in 25,000rare
England & WalesGirls2025about 1 in 83,000rare
CanadaGirls2025about 1 in 1,800uncommon

Next year

On its recent trend, Lou is likely to hold steady in the US in 2026: about 1 in 20,000 baby boys. Likely range 1 in 17,000 to 1 in 24,000.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Lou by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: fewer than 5 babiesWIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: fewer than 5 babiesWAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: #807MNIllinois: fewer than 5 babiesILMichigan: #999MINew York: #1,410NYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 babiesMAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: #571IAIndiana: fewer than 5 babiesINOhio: fewer than 5 babiesOHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 babiesPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 babiesNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #1,998CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: fewer than 5 babiesVAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: fewer than 5 babiesAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: fewer than 5 babiesTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 babiesOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: fewer than 5 babiesALGeorgia: fewer than 5 babiesGAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #2,285TXFlorida: #1,625FL
Lou (boys) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Quebec2025#8485

Lou (boys): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
LouCanadaGirls#37781
LouCanadaBoys#34696
LouEngland & WalesGirls#5,9273
LouEngland & WalesBoys#4,2754
LouUSGirls#2,64565
LouUSBoys#1,91981