Lou (given name)

Lou is a unisex given name. For males, it is frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Louis or Lewis, for females of Louise, etc. It may refer to:

Men

 * Lou Adler (born 1933), American record producer, music executive, talent manager, songwriter and film director and producer
 * Lou Albano (1933–2009), Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor
 * Lou Bega (born 1975), German singer
 * Lou Boudreau (1917–2001), American Hall of Fame baseball player
 * Lou Brock (1939–2020), American Hall-of-Fame Major League Baseball player
 * Lou Busch (1910–1979), American musician and songwriter
 * Lou Costello, stage name of American actor and comedian Louis Cristillo (1906-1959)
 * Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director born James Diamond in 1962
 * Lou Dobbs (born 1945), American television anchor, radio host and author
 * Lou Ferrigno (born 1951), American bodybuilder and actor
 * Lou Ferrigno Jr. (born 1984), American actor
 * Lou Frizzell (1920–1979), American actor and music director
 * Lou Gehrig (1903–1941), American Hall-of-Fame Major League Baseball player
 * Lou Gordon (American football) (1908–1976), American National Football League player
 * Lou Gordon (journalist) (1917–1977), American radio and television commentator and newspaper reporter
 * Lou Gramm, stage name of American rock singer and songwriter Louis Grammatico (b. 1950)
 * Lou Harrison (1917–2003), American composer
 * Lou Hedley (born 1993), Australian American football player
 * Lou Henson (1932–2020), American basketball coach
 * Lou Holtz (born 1937), American former football player, coach and analyst
 * Lou Jacobi (1913–2009), Canadian actor
 * Lou Jacobs (1903–1992), German-American circus clown
 * Lou Johnson (1934–2020), American baseball player
 * Lou Johnson (pitcher) (1869–1941), American baseball pitcher
 * Lou Johnson (singer) (1941–2019), American soul singer and pianist
 * Lou Kenton (1908–2012), English proofreader
 * Lou Kilzer (born 1951), American journalist
 * Lou Kolls (1892–1941), American baseball umpire
 * Lou Marini (born 1945), American saxophonist, arranger and composer
 * Lou Merrill (1912–1963), American actor
 * Lou Michaels (1935–2016), American football player
 * Lou Pearlman (1954–2016), American record producer
 * Lou Piniella (born 1943), American former Major League Baseball player and manager
 * Lou Preager (1906–1978), British dance band leader
 * Lou Rawls (1933–2006), American singer, songwriter and record producer
 * Lou Reed (1942–2013), American musician, singer and songwriter
 * Lou Reed (rugby player) (born 1987), Welsh rugby union footballer
 * Lou Richards (1923–2017), Australian rules footballer and sports journalist
 * Lou Silver, American-Israeli basketball player
 * Lou Sullivan (1951-1991), American author and activist known for his work on behalf of trans men
 * Lou Thesz (1916–2002), American professional wrestler
 * Lou Vairo (born 1945), American ice hockey coach
 * Lou Viglione, former NASCAR Cup Series team owner
 * Lou Vincent (born 1945), New Zealand cricket player
 * Lou Williams (born 1986), American National Basketball Association player

Women

 * Lou (German singer), stage name of Louise Hoffner (born 1963), German pop singer
 * Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861–1937), Russian-born psychoanalyst and author
 * Lou Doillon (born 1982), French singer-songwriter, actress, and model
 * Lou Fellingham (born 1974), English contemporary Christian singer and songwriter
 * Lou Henry Hoover (1874–1944), wife of US President Herbert Hoover
 * Louise "Lou" Lieberman (born 1977), American soccer coach and former player
 * Lou Sanders, British comedian
 * Lou Wotton (born 1983), Australian rules footballer

Fictional TV characters

 * Lou (Ninjago), a character in Ninjago
 * Lou Beale, on the BBC soap opera EastEnders
 * Lou Grant, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant
 * Lou Solverson, on the FX TV show Fargo
 * Lou, a policeman on The Simpsons
 * Lou, a female Flashman on Choushinsei Flashman