Where does “Louise” come from?
Louise is an English feminine given name derived from French Louise, from Middle French Loïs, from Old French Looïs, from Latin Ludovicus, from Latin Clodovicus, ultimately from Proto-Germanic hlūdaz and Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- meaning "famous."
Ancestry of “Louise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | Louise | — |
| 2 | French | louis | A louis: various gold and silver coins issued by... |
| 3 | Middle French | Loïs | — |
| 4 | Old French | Looïs | — |
| 5 | Latin | Ludovīcus | — |
| 6 | Old High German | Hlūtwīg | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | Hlūdawīg | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | hlūd | loud; sound |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | hlūdaz | loud; famous |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlewtos | heard, famous |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |