How Many People Are Named Lois?
An estimated 83,078 people in the United States have the first name Lois. It is predominantly female (99.2%). The average bearer is 74 years old, and Lois peaked in popularity in 1927 with 10,587 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Lois as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Lois paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Lois is overwhelmingly female, 2,644 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 74, Lois is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1962.
- Lois has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
83,078
About 1 in 4,126 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
99.2% confidence
Average Age
74
years old
Peak Year
1927
10,587 births
Total Registered
335,474
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Lois
Lois is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 335,474 total births registered, 99.2% were female.
Lois as a male name
Ranked #11,587 in 2021
6 male births in 2021
Peak: 1932 (88 births)
Lois as a female name
Ranked #1,698 in 2024
120 female births in 2024
Peak: 1927 (10,505 births)
Lois: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Lois span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 88,830 babies were registered. Lois has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Lois by Decade
How has Lois tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 954 | 0 | 954 | |
| 1890s | 3,262 | 34 | 3,228 | |
| 1900s | 7,805 | 114 | 7,691 | |
| 1910s | 38,676 | 497 | 38,179 | |
| 1920s | 88,830 | 697 | 88,133 | |
| 1930s | 81,351 | 638 | 80,713 | |
| 1940s | 57,142 | 288 | 56,854 | |
| 1950s | 36,348 | 147 | 36,201 | |
| 1960s | 13,345 | 91 | 13,254 | |
| 1970s | 2,938 | 52 | 2,886 | |
| 1980s | 1,441 | 42 | 1,399 | |
| 1990s | 950 | 20 | 930 | |
| 2000s | 801 | 18 | 783 | |
| 2010s | 1,023 | 0 | 1,023 | |
| 2020s | 608 | 6 | 602 | |
Lois by State
Birth registrations for Lois span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Hawaii. On average, about 6,244 Loiss were registered per state.
Lois + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Lois as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Lois
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Lois: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lois?
We estimate approximately 83,078 people named Lois are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 4,126 Americans share this first name.
Is Lois a common name?
Lois is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 335,474 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Lois most popular?
Lois reached peak popularity in 1927, when 10,587 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Lois is approximately 74 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Lois a female name?
Lois is predominantly female. 99.2% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Lois Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Lois Smith, Lois Johnson, Lois Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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