Louis

From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”).

Doublet of Lewis and, more remotely, Aloysius, Luis, Ludwig, Luigi, and Clovis.

Remotely related to Slav and related terms through the Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) root.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈluː.i/
  • Homophones: Louie, looey
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlu.ɪs/, /ˈlu.əs/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

  • Homophones: Lewis, Lewes
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈlʉː.i/, /ˈlʉ.əs/
• Rhymes: -uːi, -uːɪs

Louis (plural Louises)

1. A male given name from French.
   • 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter 36, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC:

     "It is hardly a week since you called me your future husband, and treated me as such; now I am once more the tutor for you: I am addressed as Mr. Moore, and Sir; your lips have forgotten Louis."
     "No, Louis, no: it is an easy, liquid name, not soon forgotten."

2. (uncommon) A female given name

The anglicized pronunciations are typically used in US English, although the French pronunciation (with a long vowel and silent s) is often used in French names and places. The French pronunciation is the only one used in UK English.

• Bay St. Louis
• Louisburg
• Saint Louis

• (diminutives): Louie, Lou
• (feminine forms): Louise, Louisa

• → Bengali: লুইস (luiś)
• → Hawaiian: Lui
• → Maori: Ruihi, Rewi
• → Persian: لوئیس (lu'is)

Louis (plural Louises)

1. (historical numismatics) Alternative letter-case form of louis: various gold and silver coins issued by the French kings.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     It was a strange collection, like Billy Bones’s hoard for the diversity of coinage, but so much larger and so much more varied that I think I never had more pleasure than in sorting them. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and double guineas and moidores and sequins, […]

• Lious

Borrowed from French Louis. Doublet of Lodewijk.

• IPA^(key): /luˈi/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Lou‧is
• Rhymes: -i

Louis m

1. a male given name, variant of Lodewijk

• Louise, Louisa

Inherited from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodevis, Lodhwig, from Latin Ludovicus < Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud, famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”).

Doublet of Ludovic, a borrowing, as well as Clovis. Romance cognates include Italian Luigi, Spanish Luis (taken from Old French). Compare also the Germanic cognates, Dutch Lodewijk, German Ludwig.

• IPA^(key): /lwi/, /lu.i/

• Audio (note: this actually says "Louis Aragon")

  (file)

Louis m

1. a male given name
2. a surname originating as a patronymic

• Jean-Louis
• Loïc
• louis
• louis d’or
• Louise
• louis-quatorzien
• Ludovic

• → Armenian: Լուի (Lui)
• → Chinese: 路易 (Lùyì)
• → Dutch: Louis
• → German: Louis, Luis
• → Georgian: ლუი (lui)
• → Hebrew: לוּאִי (lúi)
• → Japanese: ルイ (Rui)
• → Russian: Луи́ (Luí)
• → Ukrainian: Луї (Luji)
• → Vietnamese: Luy

Borrowed from French Louis. Doublet of Ludwig.

• Audio

  (file)

Louis

1. a male given name, variant of Ludwig

From Old French, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg; see German Ludwig for more information.

Louis m

1. (continental Normandy) a male given name

• Louisot
• Louisotin