Lou is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lou means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lou across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lou has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lou is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “famous warrior”. A short form of Louise or Louis.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 38,198 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 81 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Lou per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1954 (1,547/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2014 (10/yr).
Lou has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1954, when it ranked #374 nationally (given to 1,547 babies that year).
Leo · Lois · Lee · Lia · Lea · Lu · Lue · Louie
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