A male name. Latin Ludovicus, French Louis,Italian Luigi, Spanish Luis, German Ludwig: Old German Chlodovech, compound of hloda from the root hlu ‘to hear' and viga ‘fight’. The founder of the Merovingian line of Frankish kings, Chlodowig I (46&-511) was called in Latin Ludovicus or Clovis, and later reduction produced the French Louis. It was, perhaps, the most popular of all names in France until the Revolution and was borne by no fewer than 18 kings. It was introduced into England soon after the Norman Conquest, the English form of the name being Lewis or Lowis, and gave rise to many surnames, e.g. Lewis, Lewes, Lowis, Lowes, Lewison, &e. It has been used a good deal in Wales, originally as an anglicization of Llewellyn (q.v.). The French spelling and pronunciation are now sometimes used, e.g. Robert Louis Stevenson. The Provençal form of the name was Aloys, and Aloisio was also sometimes used in Italy and Spain (see further Aloysius). See also Lodowick.

Lewis Curia Regis Rolls 1203. Lowis Curia Regis Rolls 1210, Lodewicus Feudal Aids 1428.

Has a double origin, for on the one hand it constitutes an English adaptation of the Welsh Llewellyn and therefore, in Celtic, denotes ‘lion-like’, and on the other it is an Anglicism for French Louis, which, in its earliest form Hluodowig or Hhlodwig, denotes, in Teutonic, ‘famous war.’ The second is much the more operative of the two lineages. The warlike Hludowig renounced his Teutonic gods, was baptised, and became the sole orthodox king in Europe: and his name was Latinized as Chlodovisius; this, retranslated into French, is Clovis, that Frankish sovereign of whom Oscar Browning has tersely said that, ‘being greatly assisted by his orthodoxy, he succeeded, by either force or fraud, in gradually getting the greater part of Gaul under his sway, and when he died, in 511, left it to be divided between his four sons—a disastrous practice, which caused civil war and prevented unity. ‘

Like the French name Louis, corrupted down from Ludovicus, from the Old German name Ludwig; from lautwig, illustrious warrior. From this name we have the old female names Lewes and Lewisa, whence the modern name Louisa.

A Teutonic name, meaning: Famous warrior.

A Gaelic name: Luthais; from French Louis, from Chlovis, the Frankish king (fifth century), degraded from old German Chlodwig, now Ludwig (*Kluto-vigo-s, famed warrior, roots in cliù and English victory). Hence English Ludovic, which is rendered in Gaelic by Maoldònuich, shaveling of the Church.