Dog Names That Mean Love

The French word for "love" translates nicely into a baby name for a child of either sex.

A pretty smoosh name predominantly used by Italian Catholics.

A cognate of the Finnish unisex name Lemmitty, although Lembit is only used as a masculine name. Famous bearers include a 13th century king and military leader, and British former MP Lembit Opik.

An unusual spin on Mila and Milena.

Taffy, in addition to being a diminutive of Dafydd, is a slang term for Welsh people in general – probably from the River Taff. Too candy-like to be used in the US.

A diminutive of the (male) name Dafydd, the Welsh form of David. In the US, it's strongly associated with the candy.

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".

A modern invented name, taken directly from the French phrase "J'adore", meaning "I love".

Also spelled Kedric, this name has a double origin as either a variant of the surname name Kendrick, or a spelling spin on the literary Cedric, used by Sir Walter Scott for a character in his 1819 novel Ivanhoe. He likely based it on the legendary name Cerdic, which may be a contracted form of Caractacus.

Agapi has a sweet meaning of love and affection, but though this name is used in modern Greece, it's one of the Greek names for girls that has not yet emigrated to the US along with so many of her sisters.

Maylin is following in the footsteps of Maelynn and Maelyn — two modern invented Mae and Lynn compounds that are on the rise.

In the Shona language of souther Africa, this simple and wearable boys' name means love.

A soft and lovely Hebrew name with an equally lovely meaning. Variations include Ahavah, Ahaba, Ahabah, Ahuva and Ahuvah.

In Welsh, Ceri is traditionally a male name but can also be used for girls. It's a short form of Ceridwen too, the name of the Welsh goddess of poetry.

An appealing Hawaiian name with a lovely meaning and vibrant sound – reminiscent of rising Hawaiian stars Kai, Koa and Kainoa. It derives from the words ke "the" and aloha "love". Keahloha is also a common Hawaiian surname.

A rare Finnish name which is used for both sexes, usually in the middle spot.

Varying Filbert does not improve the name: it still makes one think of a nut.

An appealing unisex Hawaiian name (more commonly used for boys) with a lovely meaning and vibrant sound. It derives from the words ke "the" and aloha "love". Keahloha is also a common Hawaiian surname.

Simple African name all-but-unknown in the U.S. and Europe, which is exactly why it might make a perfect choice. Similarity to such popular names as Ava and Eva (and the Irish Aoife) makes it more familiar, but potentially more confusing.

Derived from Welsh caru meaning "to love".