Louise is the French feminine of Louis — from the Old Germanic hlud (famous) + wig (war, battle). A top-100 US baby name from 1880 to 1922, peaking at #28 in 1897. Louise Glück (1943-2023) — American poet; 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature for "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal" — only the 16th woman to receive the Literature Nobel; US Poet Laureate (2003-2004); Pulitzer Prize for The Wild Iris (1992); Bollingen Prize; National Humanities Medal. Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) — *French-American sculptor; her monumental bronze spiders (Maman, 1999) are among the most-photographed contemporary sculptures; National Medal of Arts (1997). Louise Erdrich (born 1954) — American novelist; Pulitzer Prize for The Night Watchman (2021); National Book Award. Louise Brooks (1906-1985) — American silent-film actress; Pandora's Box (1929). Louise Hay — American self-help author; You Can Heal Your Life (1984, 50M+ copies). Louise Lasser (Mary Hartman*).
Featured throughout 20th-21st century literature and art.
In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Louise reduce to 9, The Giver. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.