LILAC f English (Rare)From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers. It is derived via Arabic from Persian.
LILAVATI f Indian, Hindi (Rare)Means "amusing, charming, graceful" in Sanskrit. The 12th-century mathematician Bhaskara named one of his systems of mathematics after his daughter Lilavati. This was also the name of a 13th-century queen of Sri Lanka.
LILITH f Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian LegendDerived from Akkadian
lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was
Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by
Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or
Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.
LILLIAN f EnglishProbably originally a diminutive of
ELIZABETH. It may also be considered an elaborated form of
LILY, from the Latin word for "lily"
lilium. This name has been used in England since the 16th century.
LILOU f FrenchEither a diminutive of French names containing the sound
lee or a combination of
LILI and
LOUISE.
LILY f EnglishFrom the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin
lilium.
LIN m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
林 (lín) meaning "forest" or
琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.
LINDA f English, German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Ancient GermanicOriginally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element
lind meaning "flexible, soft, mild". It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word
linda meaning "beautiful".
LINDITA f AlbanianMeans "the day is born" in Albanian, from
lind "to give birth" and
ditë "day".
LINDSAY f & m English, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of the region
Lindsey, which means "
LINCOLN island" in Old English. As a given name it was typically masculine until the 1960s (in Britain) and 1970s (in America) when it became popular for girls, probably due to its similarity to
Linda and because of American actress Lindsay Wagner (1949-).
LINDY m & f EnglishOriginally this was a masculine name, coming into use in America in 1927 when the dance called the Lindy Hop became popular. The dance was probably named for aviator Charles Lindbergh. Later this name was used as a diminutive of
LINDA.
LING f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
灵 (líng) meaning "spirit, soul",
铃 (líng) meaning "bell, chime", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
LINNÉA f SwedishFrom the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.
LIRON m & f HebrewMeans "song for me" or "joy for me" in Hebrew.
LISA f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, ItalianShort form of
ELIZABETH,
ELISABETH,
ELISABET or
ELISABETTA. This is the name of the subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, the 'Mona Lisa', the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo by Leonardo da Vinci.
LITA f EnglishShort form of names ending in
lita. This name was brought to the public eye in the 1920s due to Lita Grey (1908-1995), who was the second wife of Charlie Chaplin. Her birth name was Lillita Louise MacMurray.
LIV (1) f Swedish, Norwegian, DanishDerived from the Old Norse name
Hlíf meaning "protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word
liv meaning "life".
LIZ f EnglishShort form of
ELIZABETH. This is the familiar name of actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-).
LLEUCU f WelshMeaning unknown, possibly derived from
LLEU. This name appears in the 14th-century poem 'Marwnad Lleucu Llwyd', written by Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen for his deceased lover Lleucu Llwyd.
LLINOS f WelshMeans "linnet, finch" in Welsh. The linnet (species Linaria cannabina) is a small European bird in the finch family.
LOGAN m & f Scottish, EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a Scottish place name meaning "little hollow" in Scottish Gaelic.
LOIS (1) f English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekPossibly derived from Greek
λωιων (loion) meaning "more desirable" or "better". Lois is mentioned in the New Testament as the mother of
Eunice and the grandmother of
Timothy. As an English name, it came into use after the Protestant Reformation. In fiction, this is the name of the girlfriend of the comic book hero Superman.
LONDON f & m English (Modern)From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).
LOREDANA f Italian, RomanianUsed by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel 'Mattea' (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel 'L'amore de Loredana' (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname
Loredan, which was derived from the place name
Loreo.
LORELEI f LiteratureFrom German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
LORENA (2) f EnglishLatinized form of
LAUREN. This name was first brought to public attention in America by the song 'Lorena' (1856), written by Joseph Webster, who was said to have created the name as an anagram of
LENORE (from the character in Poe's poem 'The Raven').
LORETO f & m Italian, SpanishFrom the name of a town in Italy, originally called
Lauretum in Latin, meaning "laurel grove". Supposedly in the 13th century the house of the Virgin
Mary was miraculously carried by angels from Nazareth to the town.
LORNA f EnglishCreated by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel 'Lorna Doone' (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name
Lorne or on the title 'Marquis of Lorne' (see
LORNE).
LORRAINE f EnglishFrom the name of a region in France, originally meaning "kingdom of
LOTHAR". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of
Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France that is now called
Lorraine, or in German
Lothringen (from Latin
Lothari regnum). As a given name, it has been used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century, perhaps due to its similar sound with
Laura. It became popular after World War I when the region was in the news, as it was contested between Germany and France.
LOTUS f English (Rare)From the name of the lotus flower (species Nelumbo nucifera) or the mythological lotus tree. They are ultimately derived from Greek
λωτος (lotos). In Greek and Roman mythology the lotus tree was said to produce a fruit causing sleepiness and forgetfulness.
LOU f & m English, FrenchShort form of
LOUISE or
LOUIS. Famous bearers include the baseball player Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) and the musician Lou Reed (1942-2013).
LOUHI f Finnish MythologyVariant of
LOVIATAR. In Finnish mythology Louhi was another name of the death goddess Loviatar. She appears in the Finnish epic the 'Kalevala' as a witch ruling the northern area known as Pohjola. She is the primary antagonist to the hero
Väinämöinen.
LOUISA f English, German, DutchLatinate feminine form of
LOUIS. A famous bearer was the American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the author of 'Little Women'.
LOURDES f SpanishFrom the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin
Mary in a nearby grotto.
LOVE (2) f EnglishSimply from the English word
love, derived from Old English
lufu.
LUANA f English, Italian, PortugueseFrom the movie 'Bird of Paradise' (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.
LUANN f EnglishEither a combination of
LOU and
ANN or a variant of
LUANA. It was popularized in the 1950s by the singer Lu Ann Simms (1933-2003).
LUBNA f ArabicMeans "storax tree" in Arabic. According to a 7th-century legend Lubna and Qays were a couple forced to divorce by Qays's father.
LUCASTA f LiteratureThis name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called 'Lucasta' (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, who he called
lux casta "pure light".
LUCETTA f ItalianDiminutive of
LUCE. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' (1594).
LUCIA f Italian, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
LUCIUS. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings
Lucy or
Luce.
LUCINA f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with
lux "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.
LUCINDA f English, Portuguese, LiteratureAn elaboration of
LUCIA created by Cervantes for his novel 'Don Quixote' (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play 'The Doctor in Spite of Himself' (1666).
LUCRETIA f Ancient Roman, Roman MythologyFeminine form of the Roman family name
Lucretius, possibly from Latin
lucrum "profit, wealth". In Roman legend Lucretia was a maiden who was raped by the son of the king of Rome. This caused a great uproar among the Roman citizens, and the monarchy was overthrown. This name was also borne by a saint and martyr from Spain.
LUDIVINE f FrenchPossibly from a feminine form of
LEUTWIN. It was popularized in the 1970s by a character from the television miniseries 'Les Gens de Mogador'.
LUDMILA f Czech, Latvian, RussianMeans "favour of the people" from the Slavic elements
lyudu "people" and
milu "gracious, dear". Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.
... [more] LUITGARD f German, Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Leutgard, which was derived from the elements
leud "people" and
gard "enclosure". This was the name of a 13th-century Flemish nun, the patron saint of easy deliveries.
LULJETA f AlbanianMeans "flower of life" in Albanian, from
lule "flower" and
jetë "life".
LUMINIȚA f RomanianMeans "little light", derived from Romanian
lumina "light" combined with a diminutive suffix.
LUX f & m VariousDerived from Latin
lux meaning "light".
LUZ f SpanishMeans "light" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Luz, meaning "Our Lady of Light".
LYKKE f DanishMeans "good fortune, happiness" in Danish.