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Liv

LIHV; LEEV
Diminutive of Olivia, English, Norse
"olive tree; life, protection"
Clare Green
By Clare Green
Updated Tue Jul 01 2025

Liv Origin and Meaning

The name Liv is a girl's name of Scandinavian, Norse origin meaning "olive tree; life, protection".

Liv combines the succinct charm of a nickname—people might assume it's short for Olivia—with the solidity of being a classic stand-alone Scandinavian name with a life-force meaning. It was brought into the public eye (in the English speaking world that is) due to the fame of actress and Aerosmith daughter Liv Tyler.

Following its Scandinavian origins, Liv derives from either the Old Norse Hlíf meaning "protection", or the modern Scandinavian word liv meaning "life". In this case, it would be pronounced LEEV. As an English name, it is a diminutive form of Olivia, pronounced LIHV, with the peaceful meaning "olive tree."

Its notable bearer Liv Tyler was given the name after her mother, Bebe Buell, saw an image of Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann on the cover of TV Guide shortly before her daughter's birth. The name was later chosen by actress Julianne Moore for her daughter in 2022.

Far less popular in the US than Olivia, it nevertheless entered the Top 1000 back in 2011. In a recent year, it ranked just outside the Top 700, and was given to around 400 girls, meaning for every one Liv born, there were 37 Olivias. Liv is also a Top 100 girls' name in a range of international places, from Scandinavia to Switzerland to Israel.

# 874 in the US

Liv Rank in US Top 1000

# 631 on Nameberry

Liv Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Liv

20 Names Similar to Liv

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Famous People Named Liv

  • Liv Rundgren Tyler
    American actress, daughter of singer Steven Tyler
  • Liv Johanne Ullmann
    Norwegian actress and director
  • Liv Lindeland
    Norwegian model and actress
  • Liv Kristine (Espenæs Krull)
    Norwegian heavy metal singer of bands Atrocity and Leaves' Eyes
  • Olivia "Liv" Boeree
    English poker player, presenter and model
  • Liv Ragnheim Arnesen
    Norwegian skier and adventurer
  • Liv Grete Skjelbreid Poirée
    Norwegian Olympic biathlete
  • Liv Strædet
    Norwegian footballer
  • Liv Helen Freundlich (b.2002)
    daughter of actress Julianne Moore
  • Liv Elena Roberts (b.2013)
    daughter of American actress Alana de la Garza
  • Liv Ezra (b.2016)
    daughter of model Bar Rafaeli and Adi Ezra
  • Liv Lee North (b.2017)
    daughter of Jon and Jessica North

The name Liv in Pop Culture

  • Olivia "Liv" Benson
    detective on Law & Order: SVU
  • Olivia "Liv" Lerner
    character in movie "Bride Wars"
  • Liv
    character in movie "Duets"
  • Olivia "Liv" Rooney
    character on TV's "Liv and Maddie"
  • Olivia "Liv" Durand
    a character in Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia's Caster Chronicles
  • Liv Malone
    character on TV's "Skins"
  • Liv Parker
    character on TV's "The Vampire Diaries"
  • Olivia "Liv" Moore
    main character on TV's "iZombie"
  • Liv Lambros
    character in Rachael Allen's "The Revenge Playbook"

The name Liv in Nameberry Blog Posts