Girl's name
Lou
Say it LOO
Used in French 1 syllable
Where Lou is loved, common and rare
Common across France, Switzerland, Cologne and three more places. Rare in three other German cities, Sweden, Austria and two more places.
1 in 84,427 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
France 12thSwitzerland 67thCologne 70th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 13 of the 40 official lists, among them France (12th), Switzerland (67th) and Cologne (70th).
Show all 13 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 12th 2025 | 2,040 | 1 in 141 |
| Switzerland | 67th 2025 | 99 | 1 in 343 |
| Cologne city | 70th 2023 | 18 | about 1 in 341 |
| Quebec province | 79th 2025 | 70 | about 1 in 371 |
| The Netherlands | 80th 2025 | 162 | about 1 in 377 |
| Munich city | 107th 2025 | 12 | about 1 in 349 |
| Berlin city | 164th 2023 | 19 | about 1 in 763 |
| Sweden | 176th 2025 | 51 | about 1 in 788 |
| Austria | 742nd 2025 | 5 | 1 in 7,144 |
| Italy | 2927th 2024 | 2 | 1 in 89,585 |
| England and Wales | 5926th 2025 | 3 | 1 in 84,427 |
| Leipzig city | 66th 2025 | 8 | about 1 in 328 |
| Bonn city | 249th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,508 |
Rare, below the listed names: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Ontario, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Lou is a shortening, used in French as a name in its own right. It is a short form of names such as Louise and Louisa, though no separate meaning is recorded for it.
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A single syllable, said LOO, as short as a name can be. Loulou and Lulu are playful doubled forms, and Marilou and Mary-Lou are compounds that contain it.
France is where Lou is most popular, a top-20 name, and it is also used in Switzerland and the Netherlands. In the English-speaking world it is most familiar in Quebec. About a quarter of the babies given the name are boys, so it works as a unisex choice. French records show it reaching its highest point so far in 2025, and it is rising in most regions where it is tracked.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LOO, 1 syllable
- Used in
- French
- Other spellings
- Marilou
- Louisa
- Louise
- Lo
- Loulou
- Lulu
- Mary Lou
- Mary-Lou
- Lu
Over time
Over five years: rising in 6 of 10 regions, falling in 1.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 4063 | 2499 | 5493 | 5581 | 4645 | 5687 | 4843 | 5926 | ||
| Ontario | 1403 | 1138 | ||||||||
| British Columbia | 547 | |||||||||
| Quebec | 124 | 138 | 142 | 103 | 102 | 93 | 85 | 99 | 86 | 79 |
| France | 25 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 12 |
| The Netherlands | 185 | 203 | 136 | 135 | 93 | 74 | 80 | 84 | 80 | |
| Austria | 1331 | 1048 | 1024 | 599 | 580 | 1303 | 386 | 580 | 463 | 742 |
| Switzerland | 74 | 77 | 66 | 104 | 67 | 63 | 46 | 50 | 88 | 67 |
| Berlin | 101 | 253 | 210 | 209 | 168 | 142 | 130 | 164 | ||
| Munich | 238 | 258 | 151 | 107 | ||||||
| Cologne | 100 | 101 | 133 | 120 | 181 | 105 | 83 | 70 | ||
| Bonn | 220 | 222 | 226 | 371 | 237 | 124 | 99 | 380 | 168 | 249 |
| Leipzig | 375 | 257 | 263 | 243 | 406 | 262 | 254 | 215 | 143 | 66 |
| Rostock | 69 | 143 | 202 | 97 | 202 | 102 | 63 | 105 | ||
| Sweden | 318 | 307 | 226 | 169 | 138 | 151 | 167 | 183 | 178 | 176 |
| Catalonia | 626 | 475 |
England and Wales, 2002 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5926 | 3 | 1.2 |
| 2024 | 4843 | 4 | 1.6 |
| 2023 | 5687 | 3 | 1.2 |
| 2022 | 4645 | 4 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | 5581 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 2020 | 5493 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 2018 | 2499 | 10 | 3.5 |
| 2017 | 4063 | 5 | 1.7 |
| 2015 | 5730 | 3 | 1.0 |
| 2014 | 3160 | 7 | 2.3 |
| 2010 | 4012 | 5 | 1.6 |
| 2009 | 5556 | 3 | 1.0 |
| 2003 | 2727 | 6 | 2.2 |
| 2002 | 4137 | 3 | 1.1 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Lou in France since 1925 were born in or after 2012. First recorded in 1966. Her peak year there: 2025, at 711.3 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Lou per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Lou
1 in 28,142 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 102 in France
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 19,483 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Lou. Same first letter as Lou.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Leane.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 3,958 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lou. Same first letter as Lou.
1 in 262 in France
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 36,183 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 84,427 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lou.
1 in 5,756 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lou.
Middle names for Lou
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Lou Charlotte
1-2 beats · initials LC
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Lou Sophie
1-2 beats · initials LS
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Lou Olivia
1-4 beats · initials LO · Lou slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables. Lou slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Lou Maria
1-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Lou Mia
1-2 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Lou Ruby
1-2 beats · initials LR
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Lou Emily
1-3 beats · initials LE · Lou slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables. Lou slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Lou Julia
1-3 beats · initials LJ
Changes the beat after Lou: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Lou
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 9,742 in England and Wales
91% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 36,183 in England and Wales
90% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 42,214 in England and Wales
90% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
90% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 16,885 in England and Wales
90% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 368 in France
89% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 84,427 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
1 in 21,107 in England and Wales
88% alike: moves with Lou across countries and decades.
Famous people named Lou
Lou Andreas-Salomé, Lou Henry Hoover, Lou Jeanmonnot, Lou Doillon, Lou Leon Guerrero, Lou de Laâge, Lou Llobell and Lou.
Show all 8Show less
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German-Russian essayist, philosopher, and psychoanalyst (1861–1937)
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First Lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933 1874 to 1944
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French biathlete born 1998
-
French actress and singer born 1982
-
Guamanian politician born 1950
-
French actress born 1990
-
London-based actress born 1995
-
German singer born 1963
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Lou
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Lou?
Her best rank is No. 12 in France in 2025, about 1 in 141 girls. She is in the published lists of 13 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Lou?
LOO, with 1 syllable.
Is Lou getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 6 of 10 regions, falling in 1.
Which sister names go with Lou?
The deck's top five sisters for Lou: Eline, Ambre, Elea, Leana and Meryem. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.