How Many People Are Named Lou?
An estimated 15,873 people in the United States have the first name Lou. It is used for both genders, with 89.5% female. The average bearer is 65 years old, and Lou peaked in popularity in 1954 with 1,547 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Lou as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Lou paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
15,873
About 1 in 21,594 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
89.5% confidence
Average Age
65
years old
Peak Year
1954
1,547 births
Total Registered
38,049
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Lou
Lou is predominantly female (89.5%), though 4,006 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Lou as a male name
Ranked #2,118 in 2024
70 male births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (74 births)
Lou as a female name
Ranked #2,541 in 2024
70 female births in 2024
Peak: 1954 (1,495 births)
Lou in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 16,909 people with the first name Lou, which placed it at #1,775 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Lou was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 16,909 people with this name in that snapshot, 35.3% were male and 64.7% were female. That is less heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 89.5% female.
Census Count
16,909
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,775
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
5.60
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Lou was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (75.04%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (10.11%) and Asian and Pacific Islander (6.05%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Lou in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Lou.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 75.04% | 12,693 |
| Black | 10.11% | 1,711 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 6.05% | 1,024 |
| Hispanic | 5.62% | 950 |
| Two or More Races | 2.26% | 382 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.92% | 156 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Lou: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Lou span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 9,597 babies were registered. Lou has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Lou by Decade
How has Lou 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 | 1,483 | 119 | 1,364 | |
| 1890s | 1,386 | 103 | 1,283 | |
| 1900s | 1,345 | 84 | 1,261 | |
| 1910s | 2,821 | 271 | 2,550 | |
| 1920s | 4,282 | 352 | 3,930 | |
| 1930s | 5,498 | 333 | 5,165 | |
| 1940s | 5,149 | 427 | 4,722 | |
| 1950s | 9,597 | 513 | 9,084 | |
| 1960s | 3,450 | 413 | 3,037 | |
| 1970s | 1,026 | 259 | 767 | |
| 1980s | 344 | 167 | 177 | |
| 1990s | 226 | 161 | 65 | |
| 2000s | 244 | 159 | 85 | |
| 2010s | 563 | 308 | 255 | |
| 2020s | 635 | 337 | 298 | |
Lou by State
Birth registrations for Lou span all 47 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky. The lowest are in Hawaii, Alaska, Rhode Island. On average, about 586 Lous were registered per state.
Lou + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Lou as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Lou
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Lou: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lou?
We estimate approximately 15,873 people named Lou 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 21,594 Americans share this first name.
Is Lou a common name?
Lou is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 38,049 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Lou most popular?
Lou reached peak popularity in 1954, when 1,547 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Lou is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Lou in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 16,909 people with the first name Lou. That placed it at #1,775 in the published Census first-name tables, or 5.60 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Lou was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lou?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Lou was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 35.3% male and 64.7% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lou?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Lou was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (75.04%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (10.11%) and Asian and Pacific Islander (6.05%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Lou a female name?
Lou is predominantly female. 89.5% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Lou have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Lou peaked in 1954, and the average living bearer is about 65 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Lou Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Lou Smith, Lou Johnson, Lou 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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