Luis

Luis is the Spanish form Ludwig, an ancient Frankish-Germanic masculine name from the Germanic elements “hlōd” (fame) and “wīg” (war). The French typically render the name Louis (pronounced loo-EE) which by the Middle Ages became a common name within royal households and families of nobility, auspiciously dating all the way back to the 8th century, starting with Louis I, the son of Charlemagne (King of the Franks and Holy Roman Empire). Fifteen more Kings of France named Louis would follow Louis I, ending with Louis XVI who was executed during the French Revolution (1793). One of the most illustrious of the French Louis was Louis XVI’s great great great grandfather, Louis XIV, whose reign lasted 72 years and coincided with the height of French power and prosperity throughout Europe. The French obviously helped popularize this royally “famous” name in England where it has often been rendered as “Lewis”. There are several language variations of Louis including Aloysius (Provençal), Ludwig (German), Luigi (Italian), Luis (Spanish), Ludvig (Scandinavian), and Lewis or Louis (English). Pet or short forms of the name are Lou and Louie. All of these names continue to be hugely popular in their respective languages. The Spanish spelling of Luis is a Top 100 favorite nombre del bebé niño in Chile, Spain and the United States.