Louis

Louis m

French: an extremely common French name, of Germanic origin. It is composed of the elements hlud fame + wīg warrior, and is thus etymologically the same name as German LUDWIG (SEE Ludwig). From the early Middle Ages onwards, it was very frequently used in French royal and noble families. An archaic Latinized form of the name is Clovis, and this is the form generally used for the Frankish leader (?466–511) who ended the Roman domination over Gaul: Clovis defeated rival Germanic tribes, married the Burgundian princess Clothilde, and founded the Frankish monarchy in what is now France. In 496 he and his followers were converted to Christianity. Louis I (778–840) was the son of Charlemagne, who ruled both as King of France and Holy Roman Emperor. Altogether, the name was borne by sixteen kings of France up to the French Revolution, in which Louis XVI perished. Louis XIV, ‘the Sun King’ (1638–1715), reigned for seventy-two years (1643–1715), presiding in the middle part of his reign over a period of unparalleled French power and prosperity. See also LUDWIG (SEE Ludwig).

In modern times, Louis is occasionally used in the English-speaking world (usually pronounced /'lu:i:/). In Britain the Anglicized form LEWIS (SEE Lewis) is rather more common, whereas in America the reverse is true. Both forms have been used as Anglicized versions of Gaelic LAOISEACH (SEE Laoiseach) and LUGHAIDH (SEE Lughaidh).

Cognates: Scottish Gaelic: Luthais. Italian: Luigi, Lodovico. Spanish, Portuguese: Luis. Catalan: Lluis. Basque: Koldo. German: LUDWIG (SEE Ludwig).

Short form: English: Lou.