Names That Mean Beloved

Has become a byword in English for an overly optimistic person, thanks to the eponymous children's book heroine. Polly is an antiquated short form of Mary.

Pollyanna

This literary creation was used by Anne Rice in her popular book series the Vampire Chronicles. It is borne by the anti-hero and central character, Lestat de Lioncourt, an immortal vampire from the 18th century. It is theorized that the name could come from the Old French l'estat meaning "status" or "state", however, Anne Rice herself has suggested she named him after her husband Stan
 Lestat is said to be based on Stan, and in this case, the name was influenced the Norman and Louisianan name, Lestan, itself a short form of Leodstan or Leofstan, meaning "people's stone" and "beloved stone" respectively. In the series, his name is described as being pronounced "les-dot".
 
The name has been given to a small handful of boys nearly every year in the US since 1995, the year after Tom Cruise starred as Lestat in a film adaptation of the series. It peaked in 2004 and 2005 when 35 boys received the name while a more recent year saw it given to 8 babies.

Lestat

Common Japanese name rising for both sexes in the US.

Aiko

Maribeth

Didier is kind of a Desiree for boy--a lively, confident name that's widely used in France and has definite possibilities here. It's the name of an early French saint.

Didier

Derived from Maria, the meaning of which is uncertain. Theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Marita

Tove is a modern variation of an Old Norse name for which there are no letters on the twenty-first century keyboard (Þórfríðr, for those interested.) Surviving and thriving in modern Scandinavia in the form of Tove, Tuva, and Tova, it is originally related to the name Thor and means "beautiful, beloved."
 
Internationally, its best-known wearers include Moomins creator Tove Jansson, and Swedish singer Tove, and in 2025, actress Lily Collins named her daughter Tove Jane after Jansson which may bring the name more widespread attention.
 
Beyond Tove, other popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/173/scandinavian-names">Scandinavian names</a> include Toril, Maja, Tyra, and Ebba.

Tove

A truly international name with a multitude of origins.
 
From Finnish and Old Swedish, it is one of many international variations of Mary and Maria, and can also be spelled Majsa (pronounced MIE-suh).
 
 From its Portuguese and Brazilian roots, it is an anglicized form of Maísa (pronounced ma-EE-zu) and is considered either a form of Maisie, meaning "pearl", a form of Arabic Maisa, or a compound name, blending Maria and Luisa to make the meaning "beloved and famous in battle".
 
As a Japanese name, it is pronounced MAH-EE-SAH and can mean "dance + sand" or "strawberry + sand", depending on the Kanji combination used.
 
From its Georgian derivation, it comes from maisi, referring to the month of May and is often given to babies born that month. Originally, it was also used as a boy name, however, it is now nearly exclusively given to girls. In this case, it would be pronounced MIE-suh.
 
In Arabic, the name means "to walk with a proud gait", though some sources also suggest it means "handsome, beautiful". In this instance, it would be pronounced mie-SAH.

Maisa

A playful blend of Maria or Marie with Luisa, Lucy, or Lourdes, Marilu could be interpreted as meaning "beloved warrior", "Mary of Lourdes" or "beloved light", as just a few possibilities. You could even relate it to Margaret, Marina, or Maris, to get meanings such as "pearl of light", "renowned warrior of the sea", or "light of Mars" and so on.
 
Familiar in Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and beyond, notable bearers include actress Marilu Henner and snowboarder Marilu Poluzzi.

Marilu

An unusual smoosh name that doesn't look set to rise up the rankings any time soon. It's more popularly found as Marilyn.

 
The meaning of Mary is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Marylynn

Looking to honor Grandma Mary (or Maria) with something original? This Russian short form bears an unfortunate resemblance to the English word "mash", but if you can look past that, Masha has possibilities.

Masha

A compound name or a variant of Myla, associated best perhaps with musician Myleene Klass.

Mylene

This cutesy but breezy spin on Isla has ranked in the Top 500 in England and Wales, and we think it has legs on the other side of the Atlantic too.

Islamae

Mirren is a lively and attractive Scottish name, popular in its native country but best known outside Scotland as the surname of the English actor Dame Helen Mirren. It is thought to be a Scottish derivative of the name Marion, from Mary.

 Another possible origin for Mirren is as a modern spelling of a mysterious group of names that all seem to derive from the sixth century Irish saint Mirin who emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football. The Cornish Merryn, best known as the name of the seacoast town St. Merryn, is also related.

Mirren

Star Wars fans may know the lore behind the origin of the word and the concept Jedi well enough to confidently choose their name for their child. It has to do with balancing the forces of the universe.

Also makes a cute short form for the somewhat forbidding Jedidiah.

Jedi

Davi as a girls' name might be considered a way to honor an ancestral David. 

Davi

Marilee is one of the cheeriest – if least substantial – combinations of Mary with another name.

 The meaning of Mary is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Marilee

A succinct and multicultural choice, Marjan's meaning and pronunciation differs depending on which root you follow.
 
As a Dutch name, it is a variation of Marianne, a name that blends the classic Marie with traditional Anne. In this case, it would be pronounced as mahr-YAHN, and could mean "beloved grace".
 
As a Persian and Kazakh name, Marjan ultimately has its roots in Arabic in which it means "coral". Marjane and Marzhan are alternative spellings, while the Turkish form is Mercan and the Swahili variant is Marijani. In this form, however, it would be pronounced as mar-JAWN or mahr-ZHAHN. 
 
Marjan is also used as a variation of the Sanskrit names Marjani and Marjana, meaning "purification" or "cleansing". Here, it would be said as mah-juhn.
 
The name is also used as a Slavic form of Marianus, a name that likely relates to Mars. In this case, it would be used as a boy name.