Lois

Lois: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “more desirable, better”
Origin: Greek
Say it: LOH-iss · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

A New Testament name of uncertain exact nuance, probably from Greek loios meaning 'better' or 'more desirable'. It was borne by the grandmother of Timothy.

Greek names English names Biblical names Classic names Vintage names

How popular is Lois?

202436.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Lois in 2024120

2024 rank#1,689 girls

Peak year1929

Total US babies since 1880335,474

Lois is rising: use over the last five years is 1.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Lois

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek
Elenabright, shining light · Greek
Genesisorigin; creation; birth · Greek
Zoeylife · Greek

Lois questions

What does the name Lois mean?

Lois means "more desirable, better". It comes from Greek. A New Testament name of uncertain exact nuance, probably from Greek loios meaning 'better' or 'more desirable'. It was borne by the grandmother of Timothy.

Is Lois a boy or girl name?

Lois is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Lois?

120 US babies were named Lois in 2024. Its peak year was 1929.

How do you pronounce Lois?

Lois is usually pronounced LOH-iss.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.