Is it ridiculous to spell Louis, Louie?

I was talking for people in the UK in general though not people of German descent. I have only met Louis’s who are pronounced Lewis who don’t appear to have German descent judging by surnames, maiden names, accents, grandparents etc. Also have French relations & the one who is called Louis tends to get called Lewis by receptionists at the doctors, hospital etc. I don’t think people of Germans descent are over represented in reception roles but I may be wrong. I do know of some Luis’s who are of Spanish descent b

You have to be pretty thick to call your baby Lewis and spell with Louis!

Lou-is can only be spelled Louis in many languages. In German Lewis would be pronounced Leh-viss

Just to add there are 6 others Louie/Louis’s in my sons school, 4 are Louie and 2 Louis. I honestly think it doesn’t matter and just comes down to personal preference.

As is St Louis in Missouri! St Lou-is.

The Battle of Louisburg is pronounced Lewisburg in the USA.

You can put Louis on the birth certificate and then always write it Louie, like people might put James on a birth certificate but call a child Jamie.

Ds is Louis. Originally it was Louie on his birth certificate because I worried about people pronouncing Louis as Lewis but by 6 months I hated it being spelt like that and thought it looked babyish and unfinished.

When we went to change the spelling at the register office the register actually said “so your changing it from Louie to Lewis?” and he often got called Lewis until people heard his name out loud.

However ds is 10 now and it’s never bothered him correcting people and I’ve noticed since Prince Louis was born no one has got his name wrong once thankfully.

But if you want to pronounce your child’s name as Lewis why not just spell it as Lewis?

If you have family who speak German or some other languages, as I said up thread, Lewis becomes something completely different, whereas Louis is Lewis. Obviously, they could spell it the English way, but maybe they don't want to.

Louie is fine!

But if you want to pronounce your child’s name as Lewis why not just spell it as Lewis?

You have to be pretty thick to call your baby Lewis and spell with Louis!

Louis =Louie (I prefer Louis)

Anyone feeling a bit smug about how they pronounce Louis "properly", if you mean you are pronouncing it the French way, unless you are a French speaker, I would guess you probably are not pronouncing it "properly" 😂.

See also all the little English Elodies and Amelies. Not to mention French names which have been widely used in England for centuries like Richard. Nobody pronounces these names exactly as the French do and nobody cares. So I don't see what the problem with Louis being pronounced Lewis is.

Yes, Louis is originally a French name. But it has become quite common in other countries, most of which pronounce it phonetically to suit their language.

As others have said it is often pronounced Lou-is because non French speakers pronounce the s at the end of a world.

If you want it pronounced Louie, spell it Louie!

I also know of a Luis.

I have no idea how the parents are pronouncing it. I know how it would be pronounced in Spanish but the parents are not Spanish (or Portuguese) speakers and I don’t know if they’re using a different pronunciation.

I’ve seen a Shavaun before instead of Siobhan but I prefer the one that’s harder to pronounce.

Yes, ridiculous.

Louie is just used because people get the pronunciation wrong.

Yes, that's exactly why Louie is becoming more popular than Louis in the UK!

Maybe the pronunciation will become more widely understood after Prince Louis.

Louis is originally french but used internationally - it was very popular in Germany a few years ago and all the teen and pre teen Louis I know in Germany (at least 10 of them) are pronounced Lewis.

Yes, and in lots of other countries too!

I dislike Louie. The spelling is Louis and Louie is just used because people get the pronunciation wrong.
I’d use Louis.

However I suspect that Louis is a more common spelling in the UK.

I think Louie has become the more popular spelling in the UK.

Outside of France Louis will often be pronounced Lou-is. In Germany it's always pronounced Lou-is, and I suspect in Scandinavia, Austria, Netherlands too. In the US the city of St Louis is pronounced Lou-is.

Spelling it Louie avoids this pronunciation. There is only one way to pronounce Louie!!

Louis is a French name, pronounced Loo-wee.

But it is also a German name, pronounced Loo-wiss.

People are always so quick to say "silly, ignorant people, don't know how to pronounce it so misspell their own DC's name". But actually, it is perfectly valid to pronounce Louis like Lewis. Obviously, in Germany, Lewis would become Lev-ees or something.

Louie is fine. I think I actually prefer that spelling and I am a French speaker 😂.

I had a dear friend called Louis, pronounced Lou-ee, he was from another country where that is the way to say it and I never gave a thought to the way it was pronounced until I heard someone call him Lewis.

I much prefer Lou-ee, it has a softer sound, but am now thinking of that awful song too.

I've seen it spelled both ways, it's a lovely name OP.