Boys Names Beginning With L

Leo

Latin

"lion"

Leo is a strong-yet-friendly name that was common among the Romans, used for fourteen popes, and is now at its highest point ever in the US. Brave but sparky, Leo has ranked in the Top 20 in the US,…

Logan

Scottish

"small hollow"

According to exclusive Nameberry data, Logan is officially the Number 1 gender-neutral name in the US, but that statistic is somewhat misleading given that nearly 90 percent of the baby Logans born…

Lorenzo

Italian; Spanish, variation of Laurence

"from Laurentium"

Latinizing Lawrence gives it a whole new lease on life. Like Leonardo, Lorenzo has been integrated into the American stockpot of names, partly via actor Lorenzo Lamas. Other associations are with…

Legend

English

"hero or fable"

Legend joins cousins Story, Saga and Fable in the baby name pantheon of narrative words. Unlike Story and Fable, however, Legend comes with additional weight, being used for fame ("living legend")…

Lewis

English variation of Louis

"renowned warrior"

Lewis is the best spelling to choose if you want this pronounced with the S. It was a Top 100 name in the US from 1880 to 1930, reaching Number 30 in 1880 and while it has declined in use, it has…

Leland

English

"meadow land"

Popular in the first half of the 20th century, Leland briefly fell out of favor in the late 90s. After a short break from the US charts, it returned in the mid-2000s, with actor Brendan Fraser…

Lawrence

Latin

"from Laurentium or bay laurel"

Lawrence has survived from Roman times, when Laurentium was a city noted for its laurel trees (the laurel is a symbol of wisdom and achievement). It was in the Top 50 from the 1890s through the 1950s…

Leroy

French

"the king"

Leroy's heyday was in the early twentieth century, when it was in the US Top 100 until 1949. As a result, it's now more frequently seen as a father or grandfather name. Nevertheless, it remains in…

Leif

Swedish; Danish; Norwegian

"heir, descendant"

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. Leif Erikson,…

Loyal

English

"faithful, loyal"

Loyal is one of the few virtue names suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history. Loyal was a mid-list name at the…

Lux

Latin

"light"

Lux, one of the light-filled names that include Lucy and Lucian, broke onto the scene as a girls' name but now it's decidedly gender neutral. In fact, at the last count there were slightly more boys…

Linden

Variation of Lyndon

"linden tree hill"

The graceful, natural image of the verdant shade tree transcends any connection with President Johnson. A sturdy tree that can live for centuries, Linden was actually quite a popular boys' name from…

Luther

German

"army people"

Once restricted to evangelical Protestants honoring the ecclesiastical reformer and theologian Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant revolution. In more recent times it has been favored by parents…

Luigi

Italian vernacular form of Louis

"renowned warrior"

Italian classic Luigi, though it lacks the modern style of Nico, Enzo, and Rocco, does have some notable namesakes, such as Nobel Prize winning author Luigi Pirandello and composer Cherubini..

Lynx

Animal name

One of the fierce new animal names new to name lists, helped by its strong x-ending.

Lowell

French

"young wolf"

Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other…

Larkin

Irish

"rough, fierce"

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name, borne by poet Philip Larkin.

Love

English word name, Swedish variation of Louis

"fondness, beloved; renowned warrior"

In the Anglophone world, Love is more likely to be perceived and pronounced as an English word name than the Swedish form of Louis, which is pronounced LOO-veh. Nevertheless, Love is a popular name…

Laramie

Wyoming place-name, French

"canopy of leafy boughs"

Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.

Lautaro

Mapuche

"swift hawk"

The most famous Lautaro was a leader of the indigenous resistance against the Spanish in Chile in the 16th-century, making it a historically significant choice, still used today in Argentina, Chile,…