Comments
Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
Impression
Other
It kind of looks like L'viv.
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Also Dutch: https://nvb.meertens.knaw.nl/naam/is/Liv
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Hi my name's Liv and honestly I love the name I personally think I'm a stubborn person, but others may say that I'm a loyal and kind person. But I mean there are two things I hate annoying teachers and people that say "wait does your name stand for Olive?" I say as calmly I as I can nope. But it's a pain when people say that.
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In my book there is a girl from Norway named Liv Norman. I love this name!
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Jonathan Ericsson of the Detroit Red Wings named his daughter with this name in honor of Stefan Liv.
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Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English
Pronounced: LEEV (Swedish, Norwegian), LIV (English)
Meaning: Derived from the Old Norse name Hlíf meaning "protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word Liv meaning "life". In English, it has been used as a short form of the name Olivia. Used by American actress Liv Tyler (1977-) as well as the daughter of Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (1984-) in honor of the late goaltender Stefan Liv (1980-2011).
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Pronounced: LEEV (Swedish, Norwegian), LIV (English)
Meaning: Derived from the Old Norse name Hlíf meaning "protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word Liv meaning "life". In English, it has been used as a short form of the name Olivia. Used by American actress Liv Tyler (1977-) as well as the daughter of Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (1984-) in honor of the late goaltender Stefan Liv (1980-2011).
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I love this name! Short and unique. It's not short for anything.
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My name is Liv (pronounced LIV) and I absolutely love it. I think that the name Olivia is tired. When I was younger I didn't like my name, but I think that was because I had only heard of Olivias... and I didn't know of anyone else named Liv. Once I got to an age where children start to discover interests and their own personality, I realized that this classic and beautiful Scandinavian name was perfect for me. My family is Scandinavian and my parents named me Liv with love, and with hopes that I would love it too. I feel bad that I didn't sooner realize that the name I was given was unique with a beautiful meaning. I get SO many compliments that remind how lucky I am. If you are considering naming your daughter Liv, please know that the common warning "she will be asked if her name is Olivia EVERYDAY!" is simply not an issue. I am almost never asked that. As I move through my life and the name Liv becomes more popular and known, I am asked less and less. Liv is not only a nickname, and like all names, others have no right to ridicule names given to a human being by their parents. Parents often search extremely long to find the perfect name for their child and it isn't fair to share unkind and unwanted opinions. So, whether you are thinking of using this name for your daughter or are just curious, please take my experience with the name Liv into consideration.
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I'm just so pleased that this website separates Liv "leev" the Scandinavian name from Liv "live" the nickname for Olivia into two names (Liv1 and Liv2). They are indeed two different words, two different pronunciations, and two different names, and they have two different meanings.
Thus, Liv Ullmann is is "leev" (no matter how many times you've heard someone say "live," her name is "leev" in Norwegian). Confusingly, Liv Tyler (whose mother named her after Liv Ullmann) uses the "live" pronunciation, but that should be seen as an idiosyncrasy. In the end, parents gets to pick the spelling and pronunciation of their children's names, and children can modify those freely as they wish, even if they differ from convention or tradition. But I'm really glad BehindtheName.com really researches and provides accurate, detailed, and above all correct etymologies and other name information. It is so much better than other name websites in this regard. Thank you!
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Thus, Liv Ullmann is is "leev" (no matter how many times you've heard someone say "live," her name is "leev" in Norwegian). Confusingly, Liv Tyler (whose mother named her after Liv Ullmann) uses the "live" pronunciation, but that should be seen as an idiosyncrasy. In the end, parents gets to pick the spelling and pronunciation of their children's names, and children can modify those freely as they wish, even if they differ from convention or tradition. But I'm really glad BehindtheName.com really researches and provides accurate, detailed, and above all correct etymologies and other name information. It is so much better than other name websites in this regard. Thank you!
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I absolutely adore this name. I have been drawn to it for 20+ years! I see it as classy, beautiful, simple and sweet. I have given it to my daughter as her middle name and it's what she goes by. My family has Swedish lineage, but we are Canadian and speak English. I can see where people are coming from when they insist that Liv be pronounced the way it would be in Sweden, but I hope they could consider seeing it in another way. Think of it like this: there are names that originate from certain languages, but depending on where that name is being used/said, it could be pronounced in a number of ways. This doesn't make it any less of a name, or a name used with any disrespect. For instance, take Estella, it sounds so different depending on whether an English, Spanish or French speaking person pronounces it. Another example, take the name Louis - there are two pronunciations of this name - LOU-ee (silent s) or Louis (LEW-is). In French-speaking countries, the former is predominant, while in North America it can be both. In North America everyone calls famous bearers Liv Ullman and Liv Tyler by pronouncing them as "Liv" not as "Leev". There's also a cute Disney sitcom called, "Liv and Maddie" where the characters are twin girls and I don't believe the girl Liv is short for anything since she is only ever referred to as just Liv. I hope my daughter finds ease with the pronunciation of her beautiful, simple, classic name, Liv :)
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Liv Kristine Espenæs, better known as Liv Kristine, is a singer/songwriter who has performed and composed songs mostly for various subgenres of heavy metal music.
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My name is Liv and I just wanted to thank all who explained that it is not an English name and it is therefore not pronounced in English. It is pronounced "Leev". My father gave me this name because we are of Swedish descent. Thank you for the respect.
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Liv was popular in Norway from the 1930s to about the '50s. It ranked at #6 in 1935, #5 in 1940 (behind Anne, Bjørg, Inger and Kari), #3 in 1945 (behind Anne and Inger), #5 in 1950 (behind Anne, Inger, Marit and Torill), #6 in 1955, and #10 in 1960.
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I love this! It's nice as a nickname for Olivia, Livia, Liviana, etc., but I prefer it on its own.
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This is also a diminutive of Olivia. [noted -ed]
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Love the name, and the meaning is short and sweet. I hate it as a nickname for Olivia though. I may use this for a daughter but if I have a son I would call him Oliver. Liv and Oliver are too alike for me so I maybe I won't use Liv. But I love this for a story character. And I like it on its own.
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I like this as a name in its own right with the pronunciation given, but I also like it as a nickname, pronounced like the 'Liv' in Olivia. I'm writing a story in which there is a character called Deliverance, and she hates her name so she calls herself Liv.
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It reminds me of "liver" (which I hate, by the way).
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I dislike this name in both Swedish and English usage. In Swedish usage, it sounds somewhat strange and sentimental in a bad way, as it means 'life'. In English usage, it's far too minimalist, and sounds like it must be short for Olivia.
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I like this name despite some teasing and mispronunciation the child might experience in anglophone countries as in "Leave, Liv!" or thinking it's short for Olivia.
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This name is kind of overused in Norway. There is a lot of old women named Liv here.
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Also the short form of Olivia.
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I don't like this as nickname for Olivia but that's just because I don't like that name. I got to know this name because of actress Liv Tyler and at first I didn't really care for it but it has grown on me. I might use it for a daughter later.
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Listen you people (including you "rory" because you are obviously clueless) it is pronounced "leev" because that is how it is pronounced in Swedish (my native tongue) - it means "life" in our everyday langauge and this is how we pronounce it. The word which this name comes from "Liv". Try to have respect for the origins of a name, including the correct pronunciation - not just the one you prefer, and not just because some actress is pronouncing it that way - i.e. the wrong way.
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Come on, guys! Sweedypops, Liv may be a Scandinavian name, but that doesn't mean it isn't a nickname and name with a different pronunciation. I mean Olivia isn't pronounced "O-LEEV-ee-a".
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This is an old comment but I just had to reply. Olivia IS pronounced oo-LEEV-ee-ah in Swedish (maybe in Norwegian and/or Danish too? I don't know). Names are not pronounced the same in every language. Just like Liv is (usually?) pronounced like the first part of the word "living" in English and LEEV in the Scandinavian languages.
I like this name, pronounced LEEV. It's short and simple and I think it has a nice meaning.
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I like this name, pronounced LEEV. It's short and simple and I think it has a nice meaning.
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The name Olivia IS pronounced o-LEE-vee-a in Danish.
I never really liked this name. It's too short for my taste and the meaning "life" makes it a little odd to my ears as it's a normal Danish word - even if the meaning is nice. Too many puns could be made on this name. And the English language has that problem too due to the pronunciation of 'live', like in "live and let die".
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I never really liked this name. It's too short for my taste and the meaning "life" makes it a little odd to my ears as it's a normal Danish word - even if the meaning is nice. Too many puns could be made on this name. And the English language has that problem too due to the pronunciation of 'live', like in "live and let die".
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I am not denying that it is also a nickname for Olivia, nor am I at all suggesting that Olivia is to be pronounced Ol-eev-ia. I did get over-heated and I apologise since it was unnecessary, but I am still rather annoyed that some people refuse to accept that it is also a full name in another culture, with another meaning and with a different pronunciation which, if one has respect for such things, one should stick to. This is, after all, the comments section for the Scandinavian name Liv, not the nickname for Olivia (which should be part of the Olivia section), and it plainly states the correct pronunciation here, so I think this is not the place to be bringing up the wrong pronunciation simply because that is how one says it as a nickname for another name. This particluar Liv has NOTHING to do with the name Olivia. Liv Tyler was named after Liv Ullman - a Swedish actress - and the fact that so many people now think it is pronounced "live" because of her makes it somewhat hopeless for me to succeed in convincing you, I suppose.
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I agree with sweedypops. Is the same about Teo/Theodore. Teo is a full name in many cultures, but people don't see/understand/respect it. Liv is a beautiful name. :>
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To those who made the comments about pronunciation:
You have to bear in mind that this isn't an English nickname to be pronounced to rhyme with "give." It's a Scandinavian standalone name, and with the Scandinavian vowels (and most other alphabets besides English) the I is almost always pronounced "ee".
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You have to bear in mind that this isn't an English nickname to be pronounced to rhyme with "give." It's a Scandinavian standalone name, and with the Scandinavian vowels (and most other alphabets besides English) the I is almost always pronounced "ee".
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I love the name Liv! It should be pronounced (Live) not like live television but more like living without the ing. I personally think it is a beautiful name. Some people think that Liv should be short for Olivia, but I don't. It's the name of a girl who is alive. It reminds me of a girl who is free and lives every day like it's her last. Liv is one of my favorite names. Plus, Liv Tyler is a wonderful actress and holds the name with pride.
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Famous bearer is Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull, former vocalist for Theatre of Tragedy, current vocalist of Leaves' Eyes.
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Julianne Moore's daughter's name is Liv Helen.
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I think this name is pretty, but not one of my favourites. I pronounce it 'LIV' as in, That story will live on and on in my heart.
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Just really hate this name. I think it's really ugly. :( And I don't pronounce it "Leev"!
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Could also be short for Olive.
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This can also be a nickname for Olivia or Livia.
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In Roman numerals this is 54.
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I fancied it to be a pet form of Olivia or Lavinia or the like. I suppose not!
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Liv Tyler (daughter of Steve Tyler of Aerosmith) the actress bears this name as well.
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A famous bearer is Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann (b. 1939).
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