Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Louise

Louise is the French and English female equivalent of Louis. Louis is a French name of Frankish/Germanic origin, derived from the German Ludwig, from the elements “hlōd” (fame) and “wīg” (war) – therefore meaning “famous in war”. The French Louis (pronounced loo-EE) became a highly common name within royal households and families of nobility, dating as far back as the 8th century with Louis I, the son of Charlemagne (ruler of both France and the Holy Roman Empire). Fifteen more kings of France named Louis would follow him, ending with Louis XVI who was executed during the French Revolution (1793). Louis XVI’s great great great grandfather was Louis XIV whose reign lasted for 72 years and coincided with the height of French power and prosperity. It was the French who obviously helped popularize this royal name in England where is has often been rendered as “Lewis”. The female Louise (Latinate Louisa) would become a popular name among women much later in the 17th century onwards. Lou, Lulu, Lilou, Weezie and Weezer are all common nicknames. Today, Louise continues to be one of the most popular names in Belgium and France. Among English-speakers, however, old Weezer has seriously gone out of style.

All About the Baby Name – Louise

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME LOUISE

The number Nine personality represents the completion or ending of the cycle, and a need for perfection. This is the personality that moves from "self" to a greater understanding and compassion for the human condition and the world order. They want to make the world a better place. Nines are capable of great spiritual and humanitarian achievements. They are courageous and fearless, able to fight great battles on behalf of worthy causes. These personalities will not tolerate injustice. They are compassionate people with a strong sensitivity to others. They are able to both educate and inspire. Friendships and relationships are the lifeblood to the Nine, and they place a high value on love and affection. Nines are often exceptionally gifted artistically, and they have a keen imagination and enterprising mind.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME LOUISE

Louise has enjoyed a remarkable ride on the U.S. female naming charts. Highly popular from the 19th century all the way through the middle of the 20th century, Louise would climb as high as position #17 on the charts (1912-1914). The name dropped off America’s Top 100 list in 1949 and completely disappeared from the Top 1000 in 1992. It’s been over 20 years sice Louise has found herself in circulation. Once a turn-of-the-century favorite, Louise is now out-dated and long neglected (given to about 150 baby girls in 2012). They still love this name in France, and the diminutives of Lou and Lilou are also on the French Top 25 list. Yet in the United States, Louise is considered frumpy and old-fashioned. Still, we find this name rather politely charming.

Quick Facts

ON LOUISE

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

loo-EEZ

SIMPLE MEANING:

Famous in war

Characteristics

OF LOUISE

Multi-talented

Intuitive

Oneness

Idealistic

Philanthropy

Independent

Perfection

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Louise

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME LOUISE

Scout is the six-year old narrator of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning 1960 novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, which was also adapted into a highly successful movie of the same name in 1962. She is a delightful child, although she would hate being called that. A full-fledged tomboy, Scout prefers air rifles to dolls and denims to dresses. She is bright, precocious and questioning, earnestly set upon understanding the mysterious ways of the world she is growing up in. Scout’s mother is dead, so it is her father, Atticus, who is her guide as she struggles with issues both large and small. For example, her first response to trouble is to fight – she is no shrinking violet when it comes to using her fists and feet. He gently admonishes her not to fight, but to try and imagine the other person’s point of view. Scout’s immense respect for her father helps her to heed his advice (most of the time). Over the three year period of the novel, Scout reaches the age of nine, and while she may not yet have the perspective of an adult, she has come a long way toward comprehending the shades of good and evil and appreciating and respecting the differences between people. She has been exposed to the many nuances of human behavior, and is well on her way to becoming a person who will embrace life with an open mind and a generosity of spirit. But she probably still won’t wear dresses except when she has to!

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME LOUISE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Louise


Popular Songs

ON LOUISE

Whistle for Louise
a song by Stan Ridgway

Thank You Louise
a song by Ryan Adams

Sweet Louise
a song by Bride

Portrait of Louise
a song by The Bee Gees

No Shoestrings on Louise
a song by Elton John

Louise Wouldn't Like It
a song by Peter and the Test Tube Babies

Louise
a song by The Yardbirds

Cherokee Louise
a song by Joni Mitchell

Ballad of Louise
a song by Jeannie C. Riley

Melissa Louise
a song by Chixdiggit

Famous People

NAMED LOUISE

Louise Brooks (actress)
Louise Fletcher (actress)
Louise Suggs (golfer)
Louise Bourgeois (French artist)
Louise Simonson (comic book writer)
Louisa May Alcott (American author)

Children of Famous People

NAMED LOUISE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Louise

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME LOUISE

Aretha Franklin is an extremely gifted African-American singer popularly dubbed “The Queen of Soul”. As with so many of her ilk, she got her start singing gospel in church and made her breakthrough in the late sixties with such monumental hits as “Think” and “Respect”. Aretha is one of the best-selling female vocalists of all time, and has won numerous awards, including 17 Grammys, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She also did a hilarious turn as a singing waitress in the Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi comedy hit movie, “The Blues Brothers”, in 1980. In 2005, Aretha was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but perhaps her crowning accomplishment to date is her singing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural ceremony.

(Mary) Louise Brooks was an American actress in the silent era whose beautifully coiffed bobbed haircut started a trend in the twenties. Kansas born, Louise started her career as a dancer (George White’s Scandals and Ziegfeld’s Follies) and was soon spotted and signed by Paramount in 1925. After a series of successful silents, Louise walked out on Paramount over a wage dispute and went to Germany, where she made her most famous film, Pandora’s Box, with Austrian filmmaker, G. W. Pabst. Upon her return to Hollywood, she was essentially black-listed, a fact that seemed not to matter to her, as she claimed to have loathed the town anyway. Louise spent the remainder of her career, until 1938, playing bit parts and acting in un-credited roles. She briefly returned to Wichita, Kansas, and finally wound up in New York, where she worked as a clerk at Saks Fifth Avenue. She enjoyed a revival in the fifties after being rediscovered by French filmmakers, and then again in the eighties, when American film historians sought her out and interviewed her in depth on film. Louise married twice, briefly, and had no children. An affair with William Paley, the founder of CBS, netted her a small stipend; she lived alone and modestly until her death, shortly after publishing her memoir, Lulu in Hollywood. Today Louise Brooks is a cult figure, looked up to by thousands who never heard of other silent stars, as an icon of reckless independence and open sexuality in an age that frowned upon anything of the sort for women.