Lou
Girl name · #2646 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 65 baby girls were named Lou, placing it at #2646 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #4725, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 27,692 girls born in 2025 was named Lou.
The 145-year story
Lou first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 131 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1954, when 1,495 girls were named Lou — good for #204 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Lou per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Lou against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Lou in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Lou is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Lou will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Lou is most common
State-level data for Lou is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Lou
Statistically, parents drawn to Lou tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lynn, Lorna, Lora, Mona, and Marylou.
LynnLornaLoraMonaMarylouDianeLaurieLori
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Lou | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 65 | #2645 |
| 2024 | 71 | #2508 |
| 2023 | 69 | #2555 |
| 2022 | 62 | #2756 |
| 2021 | 54 | #3037 |
| 2020 | 43 | #3498 |
| 2019 | 40 | #3718 |
| 2018 | 39 | #3789 |
| 2017 | 30 | #4576 |
| 2016 | 35 | #4157 |
| 2015 | 29 | #4725 |
| 2014 | 22 | #5797 |
| 2013 | 15 | #7748 |
| 2012 | 18 | #6872 |
| 2011 | 16 | #7436 |
| 2010 | 11 | #9790 |
| 2009 | 5 | #17294 |
| 2008 | 6 | #15405 |
| 2007 | 6 | #15491 |
| 2006 | 9 | #11417 |
| 2005 | 14 | #7891 |
| 2004 | 10 | #9892 |
| 2003 | 10 | #9671 |
| 2002 | 8 | #11108 |
| 2001 | 8 | #11020 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Lou a popular girl name?
Lou ranked #2646 among girls in 2025 with 65 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4725.
When was the name Lou most popular?
Lou peaked in 1954, when 1,495 American girls received the name (ranked #204 that year). Since 1954 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Lou?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 27,692 newborn American girls was named Lou. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.