| Louis | Bernard | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Famous warrior | Bold as a bear |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LOO-ee | BUR-nard |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1921 (7,247) | 1924 (4,505) |
| In 2025 | 1,391 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Louis | Bernard |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,577 | 845 |
| 2010s | 11,815 | 1,608 |
| 2000s | 10,262 | 2,252 |
| 1990s | 14,436 | 4,159 |
| 1980s | 17,354 | 6,507 |
| 1970s | 20,145 | 9,100 |
| 1960s | 33,382 | 17,475 |
| 1950s | 47,933 | 25,887 |
| 1940s | 49,430 | 26,446 |
| 1930s | 47,754 | 30,545 |
| 1920s | 67,693 | 42,408 |
| 1910s | 50,600 | 25,628 |
| 1900s | 10,372 | 3,296 |
| 1890s | 8,442 | 2,315 |
| 1880s | 8,275 | 1,616 |
From the Frankish Hludwig, combining 'hlud' (famous, loud) with 'wig' (war, battle), hence 'famous in war'. Carried by 18 kings of France.
From Germanic 'bern' (bear) and 'hard' (brave, hardy), 'brave/strong as a bear' - the bear being a warrior symbol. Borne by several saints.
Louis is more popular than Bernard today: about 1,391 US babies were given the name Louis in 2025, compared with 0 named Bernard.
Louis means Famous warrior (germanic origin), while Bernard means Bold as a bear (germanic origin).
In US records, Louis first appears in 1880 and Bernard in 0, so Bernard has the longer recorded history.