LUCRETIA f Ancient Roman, Roman MythologyFeminine form of the Roman family name
Lucretius, possibly from Latin
lucrum meaning
"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.
LUDGER m German, DutchFrom the Germanic name
Leudagar, which was derived from the elements
leud "people" and
ger "spear". Saint Ludger was an 8th-century Frisian Benedictine bishop who founded a monastery at Munster.
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] LUDOVIC m FrenchMedieval Latinized form of
LUDWIG. This was the name of an 1833 opera by the French composer Fromental Halévy.
LUDOVIKO m EsperantoEsperanto form of
LUDWIG. This is the Esperanto name of the philologist Ludwig Zamenhof (1859-1917), the creator of the Esperanto language.
ĽUDOVÍT m SlovakMeans
"master of the people" from the Slavic elements
lyudu "people" and
vit "master, lord".
LUDWIG m GermanFrom the Germanic name
Chlodovech meaning
"famous battle", composed of the elements
hlud "famous" and
wig "war, battle". This was the name of three Merovingian kings of the Franks (though their names are usually spelled in the Latinized form
Clovis) as well as several Carolingian kings and Holy Roman emperors (names often spelled in the French form
Louis). Other famous bearers include the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), who contributed to logic and the philosophy of language.
LUGH m Irish MythologyProbably an Irish form of
LUGUS. In Irish mythology Lugh was a divine hero who led the Tuatha De Danann against the Fomorians who were led by his grandfather Balor. Lugh killed Balor by shooting a stone into his giant eye.
LUGHAIDH m Irish, Irish MythologyDerived from the name of the Irish god
LUGH. This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including the king Lughaidh mac Con.
LUGUS m Celtic MythologyProbably from early Celtic meaning
"light", ultimately from the Indo-European root *
leuk "light, brightness". This was the name of a Celtic (Gaulish) god of commerce and craftsmanship, who was equated by the Romans with
Mercury. He probably forms the basis for the characters and names of
Lugh (Irish) and
Lleu (Welsh).
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.
LUKE m English, BiblicalEnglish form of Latin
Lucas, from the Greek name
Λουκᾶς (Loukas) meaning
"from Lucania", Lucania being a region in southern Italy (of uncertain meaning). Luke was a doctor who travelled in the company of the apostle
Paul. According to tradition, he was the author of the third gospel and Acts in the New Testament. He was probably of Greek ethnicity. He is considered a saint by many Christian denominations.
... [more] 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.
LUMÍR m CzechMeaning unknown, though the second element is likely Slavic
miru meaning "peace" or "world". In Czech legend this is the name of a bard.
LUTHER m EnglishFrom a German surname, itself from the Germanic given name
LEUTHAR. The surname was borne by Martin Luther, a 16th-century monk and theologian, who started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his famous 95 theses to a church door. It has since been used as a given name in his honour, especially among Protestants. A notable bearer from the modern era was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King (1929-1968).
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".
LYALL m English (Rare)From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Liulfr (which was derived in part from
úlfr "wolf").
LYDOS m Ancient GreekMeaning unknown. This was the name of the semi-legendary king who gave his name to the region of
Lydia in Asia Minor.
LYKKE f DanishMeans
"good fortune, happiness" in Danish.
LYLE m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
l'isle "island".
LYNDON m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"linden tree hill" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
LYNETTE f EnglishForm of
LUNED used by Alfred Lord Tennyson in his 1872 poem
Gareth and Lynette. In modern times it is also regarded as a diminutive of
LYNN.
LYNN f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of
LINDA or names that end in
lyn or
line.
LYRA f AstronomyThe name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus.
LYS f FrisianFrisian diminutive of
ELISABETH. It also coincides with the French word for "lily".
LYSSA (2) f Greek MythologyMeans
"rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.