Lou History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Belgium

Etymology of Lou

What does the name Lou mean?

The Lou surname is derived from the Flemish/Dutch word "loo," which refers to a wet, wooded area. The name was most likely originally a topographic name for someone, who lived in such a place. The word "loo" is also a common compound in place names, the most famous of which is Waterloo, in Brabant, Belgium.

Early Origins of the Lou family

The surname Lou was first found in various feudal states of the Middle Ages that today make up Belgium and the Netherlands.

Early History of the Lou family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lou research. Another 47 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1489, 1614, 1684 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Lou History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lou Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Loo, Van Loo, Lou, Van Lou and others.

Early Notables of the Lou family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lou Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lou Ranking

In France, the name Lou is the 4,972^nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 1

Lou migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lou Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Michel Lou, who arrived in New York in 1709 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Lou (post 1700) +

Bonnie Lou (1924-2015), born Mary Joan Kath, an American musical pioneer, one of first female rock and roll singers, inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), American civil rights leader, co-founder and vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993, posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024
Betty Lou Bowen (1904-1968), née Summers, British Technician in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
Gianna Lou Cassini (1949-2025), née Müller, stage name Nadia Cassini, American-Italian actress, singer, and showgirl
Ange Lou Armato (b. 1929), American former infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Amy Lou Adams (b. 1974), American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses, recipient of two Golden Globe Awards, and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards
Mary Lou Makepeace (b. 1940), American activist and politician
Cindy Lou Pickett (b. 1947), American actress, best known for her role as Katie Bueller, Ferris Bueller's loving and unsuspecting mother, in the 1986 American comedy movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Emma Lou Thayne (1924-2014), American Mormon poet and novelist, known for writing the words to the hymn "Where Can I Turn for Peace"
Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927), American contemporary composer

Sources +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)