Lewis - primarily a Scottish name nowadays?

[janiejones5446]

Lewis has become a recent favorite of mine, and so I've dug up some old threads on here about mumsnet. A number of people, going back years (and before the prince bore the name), mention how it's a "perfectly good Scottish name," and things of this nature. I'm not sure if I'm failing to pick up on internet sarcasm, but this is the historical English version of the French name Louis, is it not? Do more people think of Louis as the "English" version of the name these days? I understand that it has been enormously popular in Scotland recently, but it isn't like it hasn't been popular in England, too. Just curious if there has been a perception shift (and why?) or if I'm just noticing the opinion of a vocal minority.

Lewis is a classic English name. I really like it!

Louis is a French name. It's often pronounced Lou-is outside of France. In fact it's become quite popular in Germany as Lou-is. In the US the city of St Louis is also pronounced Lou-is.

I’m not sure if the answer to your question really, but it’s very common in scotland, maybe as we have an island called Lewis. It’s lovely!

Do more people think of Louis as the "English" version

Surely not! Louis is French, Lewis is English, Luis is Spanish and Ludwig is German.

I love it. I like that it has traditional roots in Scotland, not being Scottish myself!

I'm in South Wales and there are lots of them around here.

I don't think it's traditionally an English name at all. Louis is a French import, sometimes pronounced Lou-ee and sometimes Lou-iss. Lewis is a Scottish name. Neither are English in origin.

I have known quite a few English males with the name Lewis.

Thanks all for the comments.

@bridgetreilly

I don't think it's traditionally an English name at all. Louis is a French import, sometimes pronounced Lou-ee and sometimes Lou-iss. Lewis is a Scottish name. Neither are English in origin.

Isn't most every name imported from somewhere, though? Lewis came over from France at the same time as William, Henry, and the gang, didn't it?

It's a great name and I don't think you need to be Scottish at all!

Loads in Wales

I like Lewis but find Louis a bit wet sounding, like Cecil. Both are very popular here, I'd say Louis is definitely French sounding but the other doesn't have any particular association by country to me.

Isn't most every name imported from somewhere, though?

Not Anglo-Saxon names, but sure. In that case, though, it’s obviously Louis that came over with the Normans, not Lewis.

It's fine regardless of whether you are scottish or not.

It can be used in Wales, with the pronunciation Leh-wis, as opposed to Lu-is.

I know of two English Lewis’s living in the same town.

I know an English Lewis and a Scottish one (living in England).
I associate it with a name of Scottish origin.

Classic Scottish, but has the surname-as-name thing attached to it in England.

@TheSeedsOfADream

Classic Scottish, but has the surname-as-name thing attached to it in England.

Does it really? I could see that in America maybe, but I've always thought Lewis was a classic English name. It's the spelling Shakespeare used, after all.

Yes. Anyone who names their child Lewis who isn't Scottish deserves the full weight of judgement on them. They deserve us to march them down the street and scream at them. Traitors and cultural appropriators!