Louie has historically been regarded as a less common variant of the given name Louis. It originated in the United Kingdom (where Louis is pronounced ) as a more regularly-spelled version without a silent ⟨s⟩. In 2011, it was the 74th most common forename for births in England and Wales, with Louis slightly more common at 68th. However in both 2022 and 2023 UK baby names popularity it has ranked above Louis. In the United States, Louis (there pronounced ) is far more common.
The name is unisex; it is usually considered a masculine given name, as a derivation of Louis, but is occasionally given to girls as a diminutive of Louise.
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Variant forms
English: Louis, Lewis, Lou, Lewes, Ludovic
Arabic: Luay
French: Louis, Ludovic
Portuguese: Luís, Luiz
German: Ludwig
Italian: Luigi, Ludovico, Lodovico
Polish: Ludwik
Spanish: Luis
Dutch: Lodewijk
Catalan: Lluís
Swedish: Ludvig
Notable people
Louie Anderson (1953–2022), American stand-up comedian, actor and television host
Louie Bellson (1924–2009), Italian-American jazz drummer
Louie Bennett (1870–1956), Irish suffragette, trade unionist, journalist and writer
Louie Bickerton (1902–1998), Australian female tennis player
Louie Conn, American dancer and NFL cheerleader
Louie Dampier (born 1944), former American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association player
Louie DeBrusk, Canadian former National Hockey League player
Louie Espinoza (born 1962), American boxer
Louie Giglio (born 1958), American pastor, public speaker, author and founder of the Passion Movement
Louie Gohmert (born 1953), American politician
Louie R. Guenthner, Jr. (1944–2012), American attorney and politician
Louie Ignacio (born 1968), Filipino television director and painter
Louie Kelcher (born 1953), American former National Football League player
Louie E. Lewis (1893–1968), American politician
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (born 1986), English rugby league footballer
Fictional characters
Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Donald Duck's nephews in the Mickey Mouse universe
King Louie, in the 1967 Disney animated film Disney's Jungle Book
Papa Louie, a chef in the eponymous series of video games made by Flipline Studios
Louie the Fly, antagonistic mascot of Australian insecticide brand Mortein
Louie (The Pink Panther), the animated character in the 1993–1995 animated series The Pink Panther