>the "is" in Louisville is utterly supererogatory.

wha? I don't understand your point. according to The History of Louisville website "Legend has it that the town was named after settler Henry Lautzenheiser's son Lewis, but the name was later changed to Louisville when it was discovered that a Lewisville already existed in Monroe County." anyway, Louis can be pronounced Lew-iss or Lew-ee; Lew/Lou is a rather different name. St. Louis, for instance, isn't commonly referred to as St. Loo.