Updated October 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
African, Swahili
"life"
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,…
Gaelic
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…
see BEATHAG
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.
Variation of Zoe, Greek
Mireille Enos and Alan Ruck used it as the middle name for their son Larkin in 2014.
Irish
"beauty or life"
Pronounced like Evie, this sweet Irish nickname may be a variant spelling of the English name, or a short form of Aoibhe or Aoibhín.
Igbo
"God holds life"
English from Gaelic
"water of life"
Whiskey was the name of the badass girlfriend character in Glass Onion, played by Madelyn Cline. Naming your child after any kind of alcoholic drink is not recommended.
Scottish
"son of life"
Although appearing as a patronym (nope, it doesn't mean "son of Elizabeth"), Macbeth originated as a given name. It is derived from the Gaelic MacBeatha, describing a religious man. The Shakespearean…
Slavic from Turkish
"soul, life"
Sounds a bit like John, but has a completely different origin: this is the Slovene and Bosnian version of the Turkish male name Can.
Pop culture
"knowledge of life"
The name of an American cosmetics company which was inspired by the ancient traditional medicine practices known as Ayurveda, literally "knowledge of longevity" in Sanskrit. Unfortunately, when…
Albanian
"flower of life"
A beautiful rare Lu- name that also boasts a gorgeous nature-related meaning.
Russian variation of Zenobios, Greek
"life of Zeus"
An upbeat and unusual name featuring the fashionable V sound and striking initial Z.
Tamil
"love"
Despite its attractive meaning, this name is very rare in the States: it has only appeared twice in the US charts, in 2006 and 2020. Akam is a genre of Classical Tamil poetry, and the ring name of…
Greek
"full of life"
An early saint's name with a sharp and weighty sound.
Italian surname
Vivaldi is closely linked with the Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, best known for the Four Seasons . His surname is derived from vita , the Latin word for "life."
Sanskrit
"giver of life"
An epithet of the Hindu goddess Parvati, Bhavani is a mother goddess thought to be the power of nature and the source of creative energy.
A popular name in medieval Scotland, it can be found in the surname Macbeth, meaning "son of Beathan" or "son of life." In later years it was increasingly anglicized as Benjamin.
Brandy's son, Sherry's grandson. The word whiskey was derived from the Gaelic uisce beatha , meaning "water of life."