Where does “Louise” come from?
Louise (German) comes from French Louise, from French louis, from Middle French Loïs, from Old French Looïs, from Latin Ludovīcus, from Old High German Hlūtwīg, from Proto-West Germanic Hlūdawīg, from Proto-West Germanic hlūd — to cover; to incline.
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 |