Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Armenian, variation of Leon
"lion"
Levon, an unusual alternative to Levi. has two musical associations: it's the title of an Elton John song, inspired by late, great drummer for The Band, Levon Helm--whose birth name was Mark. Uma…
Estonian feminine form of Leonard, German
"brave lion"
There are a lot of lion-themed names in fashion these days, and Lenna is one of the more unusual. It's a genuine European short form, ala Leni, given to about 100 baby girls in the US last year.
Variation of Ariel, Spanish, Hebrew
"lion of God"
Names ending in -iel are very much in for boys at the moment and Yariel is another to consider. Likely deriving from Ariel, it gets you the same lion-inspired meaning without such a close tie to…
Spanish; Hindi
"the law; lion"
Leya is a simple, attractive multicultural choice, but with some teasing peril. The "Star Wars" princess spelled her name Leia.
Variation of Ari
This spelling variation of trending unisex Ari — both diminutives of Hebrew Ariel — means "lion of God".
Latin
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…
French
The y makes it seem more like a name and less like an animal, but it's still not as appealing as several Leo choices.
Hebrew
"lion of god, or strength of god"
Othniel is mentioned in the Bible and Tanakh (in the Book of Judges) where he is the first of the biblical judges mentioned. Othniel was related to Caleb, which might make these two names a nice…
English animal name, Hebrew
"lion; my strength"
Lion is a masculine name taken straight from the name of the animal, associating it with strength, courage, and nobility across many cultures. With Germanic, French, and English language roots, Lion…
Slavic from Turkic
A fairly common name in many Slavic countries, especially Russia – perhaps in part because it sounds close to the name of the country, although the two words are unrelated etymologically. The name…
Feminine variation of Leander, Greek
"lion-man"
With the rise of many once-dated leonine names, from Leona to Lionel to Leonora, Leandra is an unusual choice that might be looking at a comeback..
Greek
"lion of the new city"
Overly ambitious choice, recently borne by the hapless hero of cult movie hit Napoleon Dynamite.
Arabic
"young lioness"
Concise but versatile, Hafsah is a popular name for girls among Muslims. Also spelled Hafsa, it is a significant name in Islamic tradition, having been borne by the daughter of Umar, the second…
Russian, variation of Leonidas "lion"
This form got noticed as the first name of long-reigning Russian president Brezhnev; other bearers include playwright and short-story writer Andreyev, Leonid the Magnificent,a Russian performance…
Swahili or Shona
"lion; strength"
Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".
Berber, Tamazight
"moonlight"
Attractive but uncommon name which has been used as a character name in several movies, including The Lion King II and Planet of the Apes . Ziri and Tiziri are variants.
African, Swahili
"mirage"
Lovely African name that you may recognize from The Lion King .
Spelling variation of Lavi, Hebrew, Finnish
"lion; ancestor's relic"
An alternative spelling to the name Lavi, which can be used as a short form of the Finnish Olavi, itself a variation of Olaf, or as a stand-alone Hebrew name, meaning "lion". The traditional Lavi…
Turkish
"heroic lion"
Alparslan is a combination of the Turkish words alp , meaning "hero," and arslan , "lion." The name is a reference to Alp Arslan, the title given to 11th-century Seljuk sultan Muhammad bin Dawud…
African word name from Swahili
"journey"
In Africa, Safari is often used a name for a baby born during a journey. Americans and more likely to think of riding in Jeeps, taking photos of giraffes, lions, and the like. Nevertheless, Safari is…
