Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “wolf.”
(LOO)
Loup is an unusual yet legitimate French name, which comes directly from the French word for wolf. It ultimately derives from the Latin, Lupus. It was the name of an early French saint, a bishop of Troyes, who spared his city from marauding Huns.
The name was also borne by 3 Dukes of Gascony.
Currently, Loup is the 353rd Most Popular Male Name in France (2018).
Lupus was used as the pen-name for the 10th-century Anglo-Saxon Bisoph of York, Wulfstan I.
In Spanish, it is Lope, the progenitor of the common surname, Lopez, Lopes. It is believed that Lope was a Medieval Spanish calque of the Basque Medieval Male Name, Otxoa, which is from otso (bear). A notable bearer was the 17th-century Spanish Baroque, Lope de Vega.
Other male forms include:
- Wulf (Anglo-Saxon)
- Llope (Asturian)
- Ochoa/Otsoa/Otxoa (Basque)
- Llop (Catalan)
- Wolf (English/German)
- Lop (Gascon)
- Farkas (Hungarian)
- Lupo (Italian/Neopolitan/Spanish)
- Lupicino (Italian)
- Lobo (Ladino)
- Lope (Medieval Spanish)
- Úlfr (Old Norse)
- Łup (Polish, obscure)
- Ulf (Scandinavian)
- Vuk (Serbo-Croatian)
- Leu (Welsh)
- Velvel (Yiddish)
Though it has an identical etymology, its Latin-American unisex form of Lupe is most likely a contraction of Guadalupe, which is a place-name (water wolf), used in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
It’s offshoot of Lupita has become a well-established independent given-name. A notable bearer is Lupita Nyong’o.
Other feminine forms include:
- Wulfa (Anglo-Saxon)
- Lupa (Asturian/Italian/Spanish)
- Wolfa (German)
- Loba (Ladino)
- Velvela (Yiddish)
- Ylva (Scandinvian)
The name day in France is July 30.
Sources