Loki is not evil, although he is a trickster and his actions lead to serious consequences for anyone who gets in his way. But there is no real animosity between Loki and the other gods. Loki is, in a sense, chaos. He is the Murphy's Law of Norse mythology. He is neither good nor evil, he simply is. And he does what he is fated to do, since not even the gods of Norse mythology have free will.
Many people say that he was evil and a trickster and although this may be true he was also depicted as a friend of man in the 18th century ballad named Loka Táttur. I think this name is lovely.
In Norwegian (and Danish), too, it is spelled Loke (the e being pronounced the same way as in 'red'). Ironically, it seems that Loki is actually the old Norse way of spelling it, though the three original Norse countries have all moved away from it.