Louisa

My grandmother (and great-grandmother, who actually went by it) had the middle name Louise; I’d love to use Louisa as a first/middle name to honor them. Despite that personal association, I think that Louisa is a classy name with elegance; I’m surprised that it’s so overlooked. Not to mention, how adorable is the nickname Lulu? Also, if she so chooses (while a bit of a stretch), she could also go by Izzy/Izzie!

My name is Louisa, but when I was little I absolutely hated the name because It was so different than everyone else's. Most girls in my class had similar names to one another or just the same exact name. But now, I've started to grow into loving my name. I no longer plan to change it.

Very nice, a name for a lady of any class or standing.

This doesn't sound old fashioned to me, I actually prefer it over Louise.

This is my name. I go by Lulu at school and with family though. I think it is a very pretty name, but my parents went with the pronunciation Lu-ees-uh instead of the slightly more used pronunciation Lu-eez-uh which has resulted in basically everyone including relatives pronouncing it wrong. It’s a wonderful name and I hope it doesn’t get too popular.

I love this timeless name. This is actually my daughter's first name, she has just had a baby girl and given her the middle name Louisa too. I am of course overjoyed. Elegant and timeless.

Hmm... I prefer Louise...but nice.

Old like a hot woman who has turned 50. Hot but old.

Old in a good way - familiar and timeless.

Beautiful, chic, lovely and elegant. Derived from the name Ludwig and is of Old High German origin it can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic name hlūdazwiganą, which means loud fight.

Female version of Louis. Pretty name but someone once said it would make a good name for a laxative "Loo Easer" and I haven't been able to get that out of my head since.

My name is Louisa and it has definitely grown on me over the years. I have known only one other Louisa and her name was pronounced Lou-eez-uh while mine is pronounced Lou-ees-uh. I think it is very elegant but simple and not over done. I wouldn't name my kid it, but I am glad it is my name because it looks good on resumes & such.

Classic names like Louisa, Maria, Elizabeth are popular throughout the whole of Europe.

---

"Classics" are many things all at once: They are unremarkable. They evoke narrative and history. They are your cashiers name and the name of your doctor. They are commonplace. They are humdrum. They are beautiful. They are tedious. They are timeless. They are the names of the peasantry. They are the names of royalty.

---

I have seen royal Luisas and mug shots of thieves named Luisa.

---

That's part of the appeal & also part of what turns people off. The classics are safe names, no one will blink an eye at. No one would read "Sophia" on an application form for a job or housing and make any assumption (not saying that we should, just saying that people do), it would be near impossible to guess. However with a name like Araminta or Kaiden you might accurately predict a few things about them.

---

I like Louisa & Louise.

As someone with family members named Louise, I love this name. It would be a great way to honor them. I love it as a middle name! Sawyer Louisa, Glenn Louisa, Kelsey Louisa.

Sometimes I love this name as a strong beautiful literary classic, other times it's too nasal and frilly.

Beautiful. This name sounds like Spring-time.

Just a beautiful, ageless, classic name. Nothing else that needs to be said in my opinion, except for that if I were to have a girl then this would be on the shortlist.

Between Louise and Louisa, I prefer both names as they are beautiful and timeless. Not common where I live too. However, I dislike the nickname Lou because it almost sounds like "You" in my native language and that is considered offensive in formal situation.

Better than Louise in my opinion.

I like that name Louisa. I think it goes especially well as Louisa May, for a middle name.

Elegant and feminine without being too girly. As for middle name pairings, I've always loved Louisa Bernadine.

A beautiful, ageless name.

---

I am not fond of the nicknames Lou or Weezy, Louisa is only 3 syllables long and if people can say Beyoncé, cinema and potatoes they can say Louisa.

My 10 year old is called Louisa and she loves it. She is the only Louisa in her school, so she appreciates that. It does annoy her when teachers sometimes call her Louise though. It's a pretty, feminine, still quite unusual name, and I'm glad I picked it out!

So pretty, elegant and feminine. My only qualm is the "wheeze"/"uis" part of the name can be said in a very nasal way by some speakers.

Love it! Will name a future daughter this if I ever have one!

My name is Louisa, I have met 2 other Louisa's but I am the only Louisa that I know where the s sounds like a W, the other Louisa might have the S sound like a Z. My opinion of this name, is I think it is WAY too bland, and boring, but now I go by my nickname Lulu. But I am still a kid so I tell my parents often that I wish they named me their other option, Ramona.

My name's Louisa and I like the name. It sounds elegant. One issue I've had is I can't seem to find a nickname I like for it. Other than that, it's a good name.

My friend is named Louise and goes by Lou as a nickname with friends. It definitely could work with Louisa, it's a cute nickname. Lulu could also work.

I'm 49 and my name is Louisa. I was named after my Great Grandmother and I have given the name to my 22yr old daughter as her middle name. I personally have always disliked being called Louise instead of Louisa. I also get called Lou, Lulou and even Weeze (short for Weeza as my brother couldn't say Louisa) I think it's a pretty name at any age. I'm in the UK and it's more of an old fashioned name, one where you're unlikely to know someone with the same name.

I'm genuinely shocked that it has only been in the last 2 years that Louisa has surpassed Louise in popularity in the United States. I know that Louise was hugely popular in the first half of the 20th century, but figured that afterward popularity would've dropped more severely than for Louisa, given the trends for similar names and variants: Lauren vs. Laura, Juliet / Juliette vs. Julia, etc.

---

Louise is a very recent love of mine, something I used to dismiss (rather callously) as "dated" until I met someone my age with the name and allowed myself to think, "Wow, this name is actually really cool!" Now I'm vacillating between Louise and Louisa. Right now I think I prefer Louisa, but I don't know how long that will last.

Very classic and pretty!

My name is Louisa. I'm 16. My parents liked the name because of the Sound of Music. People always say it's very pretty and creative. I do get Louise a lot when people are trying to pronounce it.

I prefer Louise.

Excellent and much more youthful alternative to Louise. Although I must admit, I do like Louise too, honestly.

I think Louisa is much prettier than the overused, though charming Louise. It has a wonderful meaning: "famous battle", and is the name of my favourite writer, Louisa May Alcott. I also like the nickname Lou for a little girl.

Louisa sounds much younger and prettier than Louise.

I have just recently heard of the name Louisa & I am absolutely smitten with it! I think it’s beautiful! It sounds much better than the name Louise! It is a mix between an old and new name. It takes an old name and adding A at the end makes it more modern! I love it & the nickname Lou!

Personally, I adore this name. It's so fresh while still having a long and detailed history behind it unlike many other names of a more modern coinage. So much better than boring and common old Louise. Louisa should definitely raise in popularity as people hear it more :-)

This name sounds sooooo classic and old. I can't imagine a young girl with this name.

My name is Louisa. It is my grandmother's name but once she moved from Scotland to Ireland everybody here just called her Louise. But my mother preferred Louisa over Louise and I am glad she did. It's an unusual name to have here and everyone does pronounce it wrong or call me Louise, the latter one annoys me. I'm also glad that the name isn't overused anymore, but it would be nice for it to become a little more popular in the future. I wouldn't want the name to die out!

One of my favorite girl names. I wanted to be named Louisa when I was growing up, and it's still one of the names I would love to have now as an adult. It's feminine and pretty, yet also strong and classic, underused in my opinion and fits right in with the revived Sophia, Emma, Amelia names. The meaning "little warrior" is great to bestow on your daughter, too! Louisa can suit a little girl, with a cutesy nickname like Lulu, but can mature with her as she grows older, making a good strong name for an adult woman.

I love this name! It's absolutely beautiful and deserves a comeback in the US. It also makes a more unique middle name than Louise :)

This is my name and I adore it. I was never teased about my name probably because it's an enticing name, not to brag though :)

I think this name is beautiful. Much more pleasant to hear than Louise. :)

Very pretty name - I prefer Louisa to Louise.

My sister's name is Louisa. Louisa is very classical, pretty, and much more unique than Louise!

Great choice if you're looking for something classical, yet whimsical. Call her Lou or Lu. That's just so sweet!

This name is much better than Louise. I have heard it pronounced Lu-eez-uh or Lu-ees-uh.

I think this is a really lovely name. I automatically think of Louisa May Alcott when I hear this name.

I knew a girl of Chinese origin and she spelt it Luissa, but she wasn't that nice and she sort of ruined the name for me.

I love this name. My daughter is called Louisa Eve. I think it is a beautiful name.

Beautiful. Also has a beautiful meaning.

I used to HATE the name Louisa because at primary school that was the name of the class bully, everyone hated her. But then she left school. After that I read Pride and Prejudice and now I think it's a BEAUTIFUL name.

I think Louisa is much prettier than Louise.