Names That Mean Living
Single page list
About this list
The names
Deforest
English
"living near the forest"
Nature surname with an aristocratic edge. Spelling it DeForest distances it from deforestation.
Beck
English
"small stream"
The popular single-named alternative singer (born Bek) has given this cool nature-meets-surname name a new lease of life. Another notable bearer is Beck Weathers, a Texan pathologist who survived the…
Rand
English
"living on riverbank"
The new Randy -- though a bit commercial, as in Rand Corporation, Rand McNally, et al.
Wellington
English surname from place name
"people living in the hamlet in the cleared area near the temple"
Wellington is a tony-sounding English surname turned baby name by pregnancy guru Rosie Pope, who calls her son Wells for short. It's also the middle name of one of the Sweet Home sextuplets, Blu…
Gates
English
"person living near town gates"
Actress Gates McFadden proves this surname can work just as well for girls as boys. It joins an impressive lineup of celebrity babies with similar names, including Hillary Duff's Banks and Emma…
Sonder
Invented name
"the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own"
A neologism coined for the 2012 Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows , which aims to come up with new terms for emotions that currently lack words
Leodis
Celtic
"people living by the strongly flowing river"
One-of-a-kind yet part of the popular crowd, Leodis is a totally unique choice that fits in with the trending Leo- names of today. Keke Palmer chose it for her son Leodis Andrellton, writing, "Born…
Gates
English surname
"person living near town gates"
Reality TV star Raven Gates gave her on-trend s-ending surname to her son, named Gates Zev. Gates joins an impressive lineup of celebrity babies with similar names, including Hillary Duff's Banks and…
Ayşegül
Turkish
"living rose"
Ayşegül is a Turkish compound of the name Ayşe — derived from the Arabic Aisha, meaning "living" — and gül , the Persian word for "rose."
Beck
Short form of Rebecca or English
"one living beside a small stream"
Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.
Živa
Slavic mythological name
"living"
In Slavic mythology, Živa is the goddess of life, fertility, and the Spring season. Viva and Vita are more familiar cognates.
Kerr
Scottish
"living near wet ground"
Kerr, a simple, unusual unisex middle-name choice, can be pronounced either car or kehr.
Jiya
Sanskrit
"living"
A life-affirming sweet name is seen in both India and Nepal. The name is also sometimes spelled Jiah, as in the case of Jiah Khan - an Indian-American model and actress.
Leotis
Variation of Leodis, Celtic
"people living by the strongly flowing river"
Leotis effortlessly blends vintage and contemporary style, offering old-fashioned charm and not one, but two old-school cool nicknames: Leo and Otis. Leotis and Leodis — the original form of the name…
