Lois
Meaning
meaning uncertain, traditionally 'good, desirable'
The story
Lois is an ancient Greek name with a quietly biblical pedigree: in the New Testament, Lois is Timothy's grandmother, remembered by Paul for the sincere faith she passed down through three generations. Its literal meaning is genuinely uncertain, though tradition reads it as good or desirable. In America it belongs to a particular era, climbing through the early twentieth century to a peak in the 1930s, when it sat comfortably among the standard names for girls. Notice the dates, though: Lois Lane, the fearless reporter of the Superman comics, arrived in 1938, just as real-life Lois numbers were cresting. The comics did not make this name; they borrowed one that every reader already knew. The long slide since has left Lois in modest but steady use, an heirloom now, sitting on the same shelf where Hazel and Mabel once waited their turn.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Lois peaked in the 1930s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
524 people · the #12,941 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 333,333 · median age 23
Among people named Lois living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 52 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Lois
People given the name Lois in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1959. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Lois deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Lois truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Lois fits with your family’s names and surname.
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