Updated February 2025
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Variation of Zoe, Greek
"life"
Mireille Enos and Alan Ruck used it as the middle name for their son Larkin in 2014.
German
"blessed, happy in life"
Selig comes from the Yiddish vocabulary word meaning 'happy, fortunate, blessed.' Most of us are more familiar with its Woody Allen variation, Zelig.
Spanish derivation of Greek
A male take on the feminine name Zoe, it's hard to give an attractive pronunciation.
Swedish, Nordic
"alive, life; place of refuge"
This is one of the most vibrant and feminine of the names meaning life , and it's sure to gain more attention as the whole sisterhood of Viv- names rise. Celebrated Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors,…
Slavic
"full of life"
A vibrant and lively name, Živanka is likely to be a variation of Živa or Živana. Deriving from the Old Slavic word živŭ meaning "alive, living", it is also related to a Slavic goddess, associated…
Latin
Avita sounds like a drug name. In fact, it is! (It's an acne medication.) While that may not be enough to stop you, you might want to consider Aviva, Vita, or Evita (which has issues of its own)…
Hebrew
We all know that Chaka really means disco.
Gaelic
see BEATHAG
African, Swahili
A variant of Asha, which is related to the classic Arabic name Aisha, yet another way to say life. Other on-the-rise names with this uplifting meaning: Zoe and Vivian varieties such as Viviana,…
Pronounced BEH-ak, this Scottish name is also seen as Bethoc. In that form it was the mother of Duncan, the monarch slain by Macbeth in Shakespeare's play. In later years, it was sometimes Latinized…
Hindi
"giver of life"
A hauntingly lovely Indian name.
Greek
"life of Zeus"
Zealous and noble, an unusual and strong choice -- and if the original is too much of a mouthful, you can always call him Zen.
Irish
"life, livelihood"
Another candidate for mispronunciation.
"life, or beauty"
Aoibhe may be considered a form of either Aoife -- beauty in Irish -- or Eve, which means life. Either way, this popular Irish name for girls is pronounced as Eva though outside of Ireland few would…
Spanish
"goes on to another life"
Rarely used Spanish name, referring to shifting to another life beyond this one. Boy names that mean life are an elite group of which this is an unusual member.
Anglicized variation of Chaim
Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original…