History of your Surname
Get access to Louis family records.Start a free trial

Louis Family History

Louis Name Meaning

French Walloon West Indian (mainly Haiti) and German: from the French personal name Louis derived from an ancient Germanic name (the name of the founder of the Frankish dynasty) composed of the elements hlod ‘fame’ + wīg ‘war’. This is recorded in Latin chronicles as Ludovicus (see Ludwig ) and Chlodovechus which became Old French Clovis Louis a name borne by many French kings. Louis IX (1214–70) a King of France from 1226–70 is revered as a Catholic and Anglican saint; the cities of St. Louis in MO St. Louis in MI San Luis in AR and San Luis in CO are among the many places called after thim. This surname is by far most common in Haiti. Compare Lewis . Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 雷(see Lei ) and 盧 (see Lu ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Lois, Clovis, Loui, Louise, Luis, Boris, Buis, Loris, Bois, Bouie

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Louis family from?

You can see how Louis families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Louis family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Louis families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 273 Louis families living in Quebec. This was about 27% of all the recorded Louis's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Louis families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Louis surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Louis ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Louis. 25% of Louis men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Louis women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Louis were Clerk and Vendeur. .

View Census Data for Louis | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    25%
  • Labourer
    17%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Clerk
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    20%
  • Servante
    20%
  • Income
    20%
  • Vendeur
    14%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Louis family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 172,000 census records available for the last name Louis. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Louis census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Louis

Passenger Lists

There are 32,000 immigration records available for the last name Louis. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Louis immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 27,000 military records available for the last name Louis. For the veterans among your Louis ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Louis military records

You've only scratched the surface of Louis family history

Discover More

What is the average Louis lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Louis life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 1973. The average life expectancy for Louis in 1946 was 53, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Louis

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Louis family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Louis last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial