| Louis | Herman | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Famous warrior | Army man / soldier |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LOO-ee | HUR-mun |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1921 (7,247) | 1921 (3,219) |
| In 2025 | 1,391 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Louis | Herman |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,577 | 321 |
| 2010s | 11,815 | 750 |
| 2000s | 10,262 | 1,103 |
| 1990s | 14,436 | 1,957 |
| 1980s | 17,354 | 3,124 |
| 1970s | 20,145 | 4,761 |
| 1960s | 33,382 | 8,360 |
| 1950s | 47,933 | 13,832 |
| 1940s | 49,430 | 16,856 |
| 1930s | 47,754 | 20,319 |
| 1920s | 67,693 | 29,011 |
| 1910s | 50,600 | 22,598 |
| 1900s | 10,372 | 5,064 |
| 1890s | 8,442 | 4,232 |
| 1880s | 8,275 | 3,689 |
From the Frankish Hludwig, combining 'hlud' (famous, loud) with 'wig' (war, battle), hence 'famous in war'. Carried by 18 kings of France.
From Germanic 'heri' (army) and 'man' (man), giving 'man of the army, soldier'. The Latinized Arminius refers to the same Cheruscan war-leader.
Louis is more popular than Herman today: about 1,391 US babies were given the name Louis in 2025, compared with 0 named Herman.
Louis means Famous warrior (germanic origin), while Herman means Army man / soldier (germanic origin).
In US records, Louis first appears in 1880 and Herman in 0, so Herman has the longer recorded history.