Names That Mean Life

Vitali is one of a large constellation of names and spellings that are all related to the word vital, meaning life.

Vitali

In Slavic cultures, Saint Vitus is called Sveti Vid, making this a saintly appellation.

Hy was once a nickname for Hyman, a Jewish Anglicization of Chaim. Today it has gone extinct, for obvious reasons.

A modern invented name, possibly a variation on Ziola, which comes from Greek Zoilos meaning "lively". It appears in several songs by the band Jane's Addiction, inspired by the adopted name of a former girlfriend of one of the band members.

Xiola

In the Zulu and Xhosa languages of Southern Africa, Phila is a unisex name pronounced "PEE-la" and means "to live of life" 

It's also the feminine version of the ancient Greek name Philo, pronounced "FEE-la", meaning friend or lover and present in several contemporary names and words used throughout the Western World. The name Philip, for instance, means lover of horses, while the city name Philadelphia means "brotherly love" and philosophy means "love of wisdom".

Phila

Embroidered lace hankie of a name, used in a Thomas Hardy novel. That literary cred lends some gravitas.

An exceedingly rare name -- Viviette was used for no baby girls In the US last year -- it might make an uncommon alternative to the popular Vivian.

Viviette

Zoelie, also spelled Zoélie, looks like a modern elaboration of Zoe but may have deeper roots. It is thought to be a form of Zoelle, a feminization of Zoel, the French version of the saintly name Zoellus. His name seems to be a form of Zoilos... which itself comes from the same root as Zoe, meaning "life"! Whether it's ancient or modern, Zoelie is a pretty name that might appeal as an unusual alternative to Sylvie and Coralie.

Zoelie

A bright and dynamic surname closely tied to the legendary Baroque composer of the Four Seasons. Viv or Vivi are easy nicknames.

Vivaldi

Irish spelling of Eva or Ava, also spelt Eabha in Ireland.

Éabha

In the Zulu and Xhosa languages of Southern Africa, Phila is a unisex name meaning "life" or "get well".

A new entry for 2025, Zovalee is likely a spin on Novalie, with a touch of Zoe thrown in. While its invented status means there is no precise meaning, it you see it as a smoosh of Zoe, Nova, and Lee, you could interpret as "new life in the meadow". Another possibility is that its a twist on Zofia, giving it the meaning "wise clearing", or perhaps on the Shona name Zuva, meaning "day light". 
 
Zova is also used as the Bosnian, Slovenian, Serbian, and Croatian word for "elderberry", so "elderberry clearing" is another option for the meaning.

Zovalee

Ultimately borrowed from Arabic, Hayati is a Malay and Indonesian name, meaning "my life", in turn, making it a cognate to Eva, Chava, and Hawa. Used exclusively as a feminine name in Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Uganda, in Turkey, it's nearly exclusively masculine.
 
It is currently used as the name of a vape, which may put some parents off.

Hayati

A name with a modern vibe and an international feel, Naeda has a variety of possible origins. On one hand, it might be a variation of the Greek Naida which is associated with water nymphs, however, it could also link to the Persian Nahid or Nahida, borne by an Iranian water and fertility goddess, whose name meant "immaculate". This would also tie it to the planet Venus, known as Nahid in Persian.
 
Naeda may also be a pet form of a number of names, including the Arabic Zenaida ("life of Zeus"), the French Nadine ("hope"), and the Irish Sinead ("God is Gracious"). Additionally, it might be a form of Nada, an Arabic name meaning "dew" and a South Slavic name meaning "hope".
 
Then of course there's the possibility that Naeda is a modern creation in English-speaking countries, inspired by Ada, Nadine, Nevaeh, and similar.

Naeda

A sweet but spirited double-barrel name, Eva-Lotta blends two European classics into one. Also spelled as Evalotte or Evalotta, it appears in the children's book series Kalle Blomkvist, by the Swedish author, Astrid Lindgren. 
 
The pronunciation of the name would vary depending on where you are, with EH-va-lo-ta used in Swedish and EH-fa-law-tuh used in German, while in English, EE-vuh-loht-uh may be heard. 
 
Other bearers include artist Eva-Lotta Lamm and figure skater Eva-Lotta Kiibus.

Eva-lotta

Zhansaya is a beautiful and comforting name, popular in its native Kazakhstan. A Top 20 choice back in the 2000s, it has since declined slightly in use, but remains familiar and appealing.
 
The name is a combination of two Persian elements: jān meaning "soul, life" and sāyeh meaning "shadow, shade, comfort, protection". Putting them together results in a name with several possible interpretations, with appealing options being "comfort of the soul" or "protector of life".
 
A notable bearer is chess player and social media personality Zhansaya Abdumalik.

Zhansaya

A rare and bright name with the appealing V initial of Vivian and Violet, Vidonia is of Portuguese or Spanish origin and may mean "branch of the vine", associating it with grapes and vineyards. Other sources suggest it links to the Latin elements vita and donum meaning "life" and "gift".

Vidonia

A name with old-fashioned charm, Evalotte is made more timeless by the continued appeal of Eva, Lotte, and Charlotte. Also written as Evalotta. Evelotte, and Eva-Lotta, it would be said as EH-fa-law-tuh in German and eh-va-LOT in Swedish. English speakers may also read it as EE-vuh-loht.
 
A notable bearer is actress Evalotte Oosterop.

Evalotte

Krassimira

An understandably popular compound name in Indonesia, Nurhayati combines the Arabic Nur meaning "light" with the Indonesian and Malay Hayati meaning "my life". Together, they make for a beautiful name with the poetic meaning of "light of my life" or more simply, "light my life". Nurhayat and Nurhəyat are the Turkish and Azerbaijani forms of the name, while Norhayati and Noorhayati might be alternative spellings.

Nurhayati

Associated with a genus of white-winged doves, a first-century saint and doctor, and the highest of the Greek gods, Zénaïde is a French variation of Zenaida. Meaning "dedicated to Zeus", it was notably borne by  Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte, the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte and wife of naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte (who named Zenaida doves for her). 