Cool Baby Names That Start with L

  1. Linnea
    • Origin:

      Swedish
    • Meaning:

      "twinflower, lime tree"
    • Description:

      Linnea is an attractive Scandinavian name that derives from the renowned 18th century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who developed the Linnean system of classifying plants and animals.
  2. Lennox
    • Origin:

      Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "elm grove"
    • Description:

      Lennox is an aristocratic and powerful Scottish surname name made truly special by that final x. The worldwide fame of British boxer--World and Olympic champion--Lennox Claudius Lewis brought the name into the spotlight as a first name, while as a last it's tied to Eurythmics singer Annie L.
  3. Leona
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lioness"
    • Description:

      A strong, grounded choice that still has plenty of energy and charm, Leona is the feminine form of Leon, itself derived from the Greek word for "lion". Associated with courage, leadership, and royalty — and the star sign of July and August — Leona is popular in Croatia and Sweden, but familiar across the US, the UK, and continental Europe.
  4. Leah
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "weary"
    • Description:

      Strong but sweet, Leah is a classic name that doesn't feel dull or dusty. It's got plenty of dignity, grace, and pluck, making it a solid choice in the 21st century.
  5. Lulu
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Louise or Lucy, or Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "pearl"
    • Description:

      Lula has a firecracker personality, a singing and dancing extrovert. Interesting that Lulu was a Top 100 name when the Social Security list was born in 1880, but it's been sliding ever since and has not been in the Top 1000 for decades. Modern parents in love with Lulu might well reverse that trend.
  6. Lorelei
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "alluring, temptress"
    • Description:

      The lovely Lorelei, a name from old German legend, was a beautiful Rhine River seductress whose haunting voice led sailors to hazardous rocks that would cause them to be shipwrecked. And this siren image clung to the name for ages.
  7. Lev
    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Russian
    • Meaning:

      "heart; lion"
    • Description:

      This concise one-syllable name, has two possible derivations and two positive meanings associated with it. In Hebrew, it means "heart", while in Russian it means "lion". So strong and simple Lev has both a soft and a fierce side.
  8. Lowen
    • Origin:

      Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "joy"
    • Description:

      Could Lowen be the next Owen, Rowen, and Cohen? This Cornish name certainly has the right sounds to be an American hit, and is rising dramatically for both boys and girls.
  9. Luella
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Louella
    • Meaning:

      "battle famous fairy maiden"
    • Description:

      Luella is a sleeker spelling variant of the girls' name Louella and is now more popular than the original. Sweet, but lively, it was a popular name in the the early 19th century, but fell out of favor in the 50s. Now, after a 60 year absence, it's back in the charts, in the US and the UK.
  10. Linus
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "flax"
    • Description:

      Can Linus lose its metaphorical security blanket and move from the Peanuts page onto the birth certificate? We think it has enough charm and other positive elements going for it for the answer to be yes.
  11. Lavinia
    • Origin:

      Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
    • Description:

      Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the mother of the Roman people.
  12. Lincoln
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "town by the pool"
    • Description:

      Lincoln cracked the Top 50 for boys' names for the first time in 2016, more than 150 years after the death of its most famous bearer. This is especially remarkable because, as crazy as it seems now, Lincoln was deeply out of fashion as recently as the late 90s, consistently hovering near the bottom of the Top 1000.
  13. Leif
    • Origin:

      Swedish; Danish; Norwegian
    • Meaning:

      "heir, descendant"
    • Description:

      Leif is one of the most recognizable Scandinavian names, thanks to Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, and is still one of the best, with a pleasant aural association with the word leaf.
  14. Lumi
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "snow"
    • Description:

      Lumi may be a rare girls' name in the USA and England, but it comes in the Top 50 in Finland, where it means snow. Given the popularity of Winter, Holly, Ivy and many other wintery-christmassy names, we think that short and spunky Lumi definitely has potential for greater usage outside its home country as one of the more unusual names for Christmas babies.
  15. Liv
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Olivia, English, Norse
    • Meaning:

      "olive tree; life, protection"
    • Description:

      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.
  16. Leonora
    • Origin:

      Italian diminutive of Eleonora or Eleanor, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Its mellifluous sound makes Leonora--which has a rich history and a tie to the popular Leo names-- a keen possibility for revival. Though it's been hiding below the Top 1000 since the 1940s, Leonora is being rediscovered by stylish parents in the US and Europe.
  17. Leonie
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lion"
    • Description:

      Leonie is a chic French and German form of a name that exists in a range of variations from Leona to Leonia to Leon to Leo to Lionel, all newly fashionable after a couple of generations in style limbo.
  18. Linden
    • Origin:

      Variation of Lyndon
    • Meaning:

      "linden tree hill"
    • Description:

      The graceful, natural image of the verdant shade tree transcends any connection with President Johnson.
  19. Lyle
    • Origin:

      Scottish and English from French
    • Meaning:

      "someone who lives on an island"
    • Description:

      Straightforward single-syllable name, though children named Lyle may get tired of hearing "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile". Lyle was at the height of fashion in the 1920s, which makes him due for a comeback right about now. The double L certainly gives it a fashionable sound.
  20. Leonardo
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish variation of Leonard, German
    • Meaning:

      "brave lion"
    • Description:

      For centuries this name was associated primarily with the towering figure of Italian Renaissance painter-scientist-inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and was scarcely used outside the Latin culture.

The Nameberry App Is Live

Nameberry app screenshot
Find your perfect baby name together in our iPhone app, now available on the App Store.
  • Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
  • Names you match on are saved to your shared list
  • Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
  • Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
  • Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
Download on the App Store
Nameberry app screenshot