By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 13 pages
of 13
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Latin
"lion"
Leonie is a chic French and German form of a name that exists in a range of variations from Leona to Leonia to Leon to Leo to Lionel, all newly fashionable after a couple of generations in style…
Diminutive of Linda, English, Welsh
"pretty, soft, tender; lake"
Lynn arrived in the 1940s, spinning off from the wildly popular Linda to become a top mid-century middle (and first) name, ranking at #58 during its 1956 peak. Now, however, Lynn is out of the…
Spanish nickname
Inspired by the Mexican singer who uses it as her single name.
English
"from Lassy"
One of the most feminine of surname names, calling to mind dresses and doilies, though it was once used for boys too. The spelling Lacey is currently more popular, while Lacie has been a favorite in…
Yiddish
"love"
A light-sounding name with a great meaning that could also appeal to non-Yiddish speakers. It is quite rare in the US, but on an upwards trend.
French elaboration of Lynn or Welsh
"idol"
Linda begat Lynn which gave way to Lynette, which peaked in the late 1960s. Lynette has been off the Top 1000 for a couple decades now, and the Lynn variations finding the most favor are those that…
Short form of Louise
"renowned warrior"
Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to…
Spelling variation of Lily or diminutive of Lilian
Lili has been blooming in many forms for a couple of decades now. The Lili version will surely get more attention now that the Duke and Duchess of Susses, aka Harry and Meghan, are using is as a…
Luci is a feminine name that serves as a shortened form of Lucia or Lucille, both derived from the Latin word "lux" meaning "light." This cheerful, bright name carries connotations of illumination,…
"light"
This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides , originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in…
English literary name
One of those names like Pamela, Vanessa and Wendy, Lorna was invented for a particular literary character--the protagonist of the 1869 novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore--and then perpetuated as…
Diminutive of Elaine
"bright shining one"
Lainie is a nickname for Elaine that has been in the public eye via Lainie Kazan (that was her full given name), who was a popular singer in the 1960s and 1970s (she was Barbra Streisand's understudy…
Roman
"grove or light"
Lucina, deriving from Latin lucus "grove" and also associated with lux "light", is an epithet given in Roman mythology to the goddess Juno (and sometimes also Diana) in her role as goddess of…
Diminutive of Louise or Lucy, or Arabic
"pearl"
Lula has a firecracker personality, a singing and dancing extrovert. Interesting that Lulu was a Top 100 name when the Social Security list was born in 1880, but it's been sliding ever since and has…
German, diminutive of Liselotte; Hawaiian
"God is my oath + freeman; generous one"
Lilo is the name of the spunky little Hawaiian girl character in the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch -- and is also Lindsay Lohan's nickname. Multi-cultural, it can be found in Hawaiian, German and Hebrew…
Spanish, “little wolf”
This lively pet name has recently been associated with Mexican-born Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o, acclaimed for her role in the 2013 film Twelve Years a Slave . The mother name Guadalupe, literally…
Livi is a feminine name that functions as both a standalone name and a shortened form of names like Olivia, Livia, or Lavinia. With Scandinavian connections, particularly in Finland, Livi has a…
English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
"pledged to God"
Lilibet is the fanciful short form of Elizabeth first noted as the childhood nickname of Britain's queen and now made contemporary as the name of the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — aka…
Nature name
This body of water runs deep; the best of a group of new possibilities that includes Bay, Ocean, River, and the more established Brook. It has received attention via the actress Lake Bell. Lake would…
