'Luise' originates from German, ultimately from Old High German 'Hludwig' (via Latin and Old French), where 'hlud' meant 'fame' and 'wig' meant 'war'.

'Luise' changed from Old High German 'Hludwig' to Latin 'Ludovicus', then to Old French 'Louis', later to the French feminine 'Louise', and was adopted into German as 'Luise'.

Initially it meant 'famous in battle', but over time it became used primarily as a female personal name without retaining the literal martial sense.