Thirty years of Louis
Louis in numbers
Louis peaked in 2004 with 1,976 boys and has fallen since, to 1,030 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 2004 and 2007, from 1,976 to 1,338. It ranked 61st in 1996, reached 38th in 2004 and ranks 49th now. On average it was given to 1,314 boys a year in the late 1990s, 1,535 in the 2000s, 936 in the 2010s and 1,161 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
What the official statisticians said
“Louis also rose in popularity after the birth of William and Kate’s third child”
ONS, on 2021 births in England and Wales. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-6%1,092 to 1,030
- 5 years-13%1,186 to 1,030
- 10 years+21%854 to 1,030
- 20 years-36%1,611 to 1,030
- Since 1996-6%1,100 to 1,030
- Total, 1996 to 202536,928boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 49 · ONS · 1,092 in 2024
Rank 83 · NRS · 53 in 2024
Rank 126 · NISRA · 22 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49 | 1,030 | -6% | 1 in 292 |
| 2024 | 47 | 1,092 | -12% | 1 in 279 |
| 2023 | 45 | 1,236 | +4% | 1 in 245 |
| 2022 | 48 | 1,184 | -5% | 1 in 262 |
| 2021 | 50 | 1,240 | +5% | 1 in 258 |
| 2020 | 52 | 1,186 | -7% | 1 in 265 |
| 2019 | 53 | 1,274 | +35% | 1 in 258 |
| 2018 | 69 | 941 | +15% | 1 in 359 |
| 2017 | 82 | 819 | -10% | 1 in 425 |
| 2016 * | 71 | 911 | +7% | 1 in 391 |
| 2015 | 78 | 854 | -15% | 1 in 419 |
| 2014 | 68 | 999 | +21% | 1 in 357 |
| 2013 | 77 | 827 | +1% | 1 in 433 |
| 2012 | 81 | 815 | -15% | 1 in 459 |
| 2011 | =68 | 961 | +0% | 1 in 386 |
| 2010 | 69 | 957 | -10% | 1 in 388 |
| 2009 | 66 | 1,067 | -11% | 1 in 339 |
| 2008 | 59 | 1,205 | -10% | 1 in 301 |
| 2007 | 60 | 1,338 | -1% | 1 in 265 |
| 2006 | 54 | 1,350 | -16% | 1 in 254 |
| 2005 | 43 | 1,611 | -18% | 1 in 205 |
| 2004 | 38 | 1,976 | +16% | 1 in 166 |
| 2003 | 41 | 1,699 | -1% | 1 in 187 |
| 2002 | 41 | 1,721 | -8% | 1 in 178 |
| 2001 | 39 | 1,864 | +23% | 1 in 163 |
| 2000 | 46 | 1,516 | +9% | 1 in 204 |
| 1999 | 49 | 1,397 | -3% | 1 in 229 |
| 1998 | 50 | 1,433 | +8% | 1 in 227 |
| 1997 | 54 | 1,325 | +20% | 1 in 249 |
| 1996 | 61 | 1,100 | 1 in 303 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Louis
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Louis is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Louis is in our lists: Royal baby names.