Kublai m HistoryFrom the Mongolian name
Khubilai, of unknown meaning. Kublai Khan was a 13th-century grandson of
Genghis Khan (being the son of his son Tolui), and the fifth ruler of the Mongol Empire. He is also considered the first ruler of the Chinese Yuan dynasty.
Kudret m TurkishMeans
"power, might" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
K'uk'ulkan m Mayan MythologyMeans
"feathered serpent", from Classic Maya
k'uk' "quetzal, quetzal feather" and
kaan "serpent, snake". This was the name of a snake god in Maya mythology, roughly equivalent to the Aztec god
Quetzalcoatl. This is the Yucatec Maya form — the K'iche' name is
Q'uq'umatz (which is only partially cognate).
Kulap f & m ThaiMeans
"rose" in Thai (of Persian origin).
Kullervo m Finnish, Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
kulta "gold". In the Finnish epic the
Kalevala this is the name of tragic character, a young man who seeks revenge on his uncle Untamo for destroying his tribe and selling him into slavery.
Kumar m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, NepaliModern form of
Kumara.
Kun f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
坤 (kūn) meaning "earth, female", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Kunala m SanskritMeans
"lotus" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor
Ashoka.
Kuno m German, GermanicShort form of names beginning with the Old German element
kunni meaning
"clan, family". It can also be a short form of
Konrad.
Kurō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
九 (ku) meaning "nine" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This name was traditionally given to the ninth son. Other combinations of kanji characters are also possible.
Kwaku m AkanMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Akan.
Kwame m AkanMeans
"born on Saturday" in Akan.
Kyle m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from various place names, themselves from Gaelic
caol meaning
"narrows, channel, strait". As a given name it was rare in the first half of the 20th century. It rose steadily in popularity throughout the English-speaking world, entering the top 50 in most places by the 1990s. It has since declined in all regions.
Kylo m Popular CultureMeaning unexplained. This is the name of the villain, Kylo Ren, in the
Star Wars movie sequels, starting with
The Force Awakens in 2015. Originally named Ben Solo, he is the son of Han Solo and Leia Skywalker. His name might simply be formed from the
ky of
Skywalker and the
lo of
Solo.
Kyo m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Kyō m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
協 (kyō) meaning "unite, cooperate",
京 (kyō) meaning "capital city",
郷 (kyō) meaning "village",
杏 (kyō) meaning "apricot", or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Kyou m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Lacey f & m EnglishVariant of
Lacy. This is currently the most popular spelling of this name.
Lachlan m Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of
Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.
Lachtna m Irish (Rare)From Old Irish
Lachtnae meaning
"milk-coloured", from
lacht "milk" (borrowed from Latin). This was the name of a great-grandfather of the Irish king
Brian Boru.
Lacy f & m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from
Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as
Lascius. Formerly more common for boys in America, this name began to grow in popularity for girls in 1975.
Lael m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"of God" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Eliasaph in the Old Testament. It is misspelled as
Δαήλ (Dael) in the Greek translation, the Septuagint.
Laertes m Greek MythologyMeans
"gatherer of the people" in Greek. This is the name of the father of
Odysseus in Greek mythology. It was later utilized by Shakespeare for a character in his tragedy
Hamlet (1600), in which he is the son of
Polonius. His ultimate duel with
Hamlet leads to both of their deaths.
Lailoken m HistoryFrom medieval Latin
Laloecen, possibly related to Welsh
llallo meaning
"brother, friend". This name appears in medieval tales about Saint
Kentigern, borne by a prophetic madman at the court of
Rhydderch Hael. He may form a basis for
Myrddin, who is addressed as
llallogan by his sister
Gwenddydd in the
Red Book of Hergest.
Laius m Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Λάϊος (Laios), which is of unknown meaning. This was the name of a king of Thebes in Greek mythology, the husband of
Jocasta. Due to a prophecy that he would be killed by his son, Laius left his infant
Oedipus for dead. The boy survived but was ignorant of his true parentage. Years later he unwittingly killed Laius in a quarrel on the road.
Lajos m HungarianHungarian form of
Louis. It was borne by two Hungarian kings, starting with the 14th-century Lajos I the Great, who was named after his French uncle.
Lake m & f English (Rare)From the English word
lake, for the inland body of water. It is ultimately derived from Latin
lacus.
Lakshmana m HinduismMeans
"having lucky marks" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Ramayana he is the younger brother and trusted companion of the hero
Rama, accompanying him into exile.
Lakshmi f & m Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, OdiaMeans
"sign, mark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty. She is the wife of
Vishnu and her symbol is the lotus flower, with which she is often depicted.
Lal m Hindi, NepaliMeans
"boy" in Hindi, derived from Sanskrit
लल (lala) meaning "playing, caressing".
Lamar m English, African AmericanFrom a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French
la mare meaning
"the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components
la and
mar.
Lambaer m LimburgishLimburgish form of
Lambert. Its spelling has been influenced by the French pronunciation of Lambert.
Lambert m German, Dutch, French, English, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
lant "land" and
beraht "bright". Saint Lambert of Maastricht was a 7th-century bishop who was martyred after denouncing Pepin II for adultery. The name was also borne by a 9th-century king of Italy who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Lamont m English, African AmericanFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from the medieval Gaelic given name
Lagmann, itself from Old Norse
lǫgmaðr meaning
"law man". This name reached a peak in its American popularity in 1972, the same year that the sitcom
Sanford and Son debuted, featuring the character Lamont Sanford (the titular son).
Lan 1 f & m Chinese, VietnameseFrom Chinese
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant" (which is usually only feminine) or
岚 (lán) meaning "mountain mist". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese
蘭 meaning "orchid".
Lance m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Lanzo, originally a short form of names that began with the Old Frankish or Old Saxon element
land, Old High German
lant meaning
"land" (Proto-Germanic *
landą). During the Middle Ages it became associated with Old French
lance meaning "spear, lance". A famous bearer is American cyclist Lance Armstrong (1971-).
Lancelot m Arthurian CyclePossibly an Old French diminutive of
Lanzo (see
Lance). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of
Arthur's wife
Guinevere, ultimately causing the destruction of Arthur's kingdom. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes: briefly in
Erec and Enide and then as a main character in
Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.
Landon m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning
"long hill" (effectively meaning
"ridge"). Use of the name may have been inspired in part by the actor Michael Landon (1936-1991).
Landry m FrenchFrench form of
Landric. This name was borne by a few French saints, including a 5th-century bishop of Sées and a 7th-century bishop of Paris.
Landulf m GermanicOld German name derived from the elements
lant meaning "land" and
wolf meaning "wolf". This name was borne by several Lombard nobles.
Lane m EnglishFrom an English surname, meaning
"lane, path", which originally belonged to a person who lived near a lane.
Lanford m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"long ford" in Old English.
Langston m EnglishFrom an English surname, itself from a place name, derived from Old English
lang "long" and
stan "stone". A famous bearer was the American author Langston Hughes (1901-1967).
Laocoön m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Λαοκόων (Laokoon), derived from
λαός (laos) meaning "people" and
ἀκούω (akouo) meaning "to hear". In Greek mythology this was the name of a Trojan priest who warned against accepting the wooden horse left by the Greeks. He and his sons were strangled by sea serpents sent by the gods.
Lasha m GeorgianPossibly from a Northwest Caucasian word meaning
"light". This was a name of Giorgi IV, a 13th-century king of Georgia.
László m HungarianHungarian form of
Vladislav. Saint László was an 11th-century king of Hungary, looked upon as the embodiment of Christian virtue and bravery.
Latif m Arabic, UrduMeans
"gentle, kind" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
اللطيف (al-Laṭīf) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Launce m LiteratureShort form of
Launcelot, a variant of
Lancelot. This was the name of a clownish character in Shakespeare's play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Lauren f & m EnglishVariant or feminine form of
Laurence 1. Originally a masculine name, it was first popularized as a feminine name by actress Betty Jean Perske (1924-2014), who used Lauren Bacall as her stage name.
Laurence 1 m EnglishFrom the Roman cognomen
Laurentius, which meant
"from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin
laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).
... [more] Laurianus m Late RomanRoman name that was derived from
Laurus. This was the name of a 6th-century saint, a bishop of Seville, who was martyred by the Arian Ostrogoths.
Laurus m Late RomanOriginal masculine form of
Laura. It was borne by a 2nd-century saint and martyr from Illyricum.
Lautaro m Mapuche (Hispanicized), Spanish (Latin American)Hispanicized form of Mapuche
Lef-Traru meaning
"swift hawk", derived from
lef "swift" and
traru "hawk". This name was borne by a 16th-century Mapuche military leader who fought against the Spanish conquistadors in Chile.
Laverne f & m EnglishFrom a French surname that was derived from a place name, ultimately from the Gaulish word
vern "alder". It is sometimes associated with the Roman goddess
Laverna or the Latin word
vernus "of spring".
Lawal m HausaFrom Arabic
أوّل (ʾawwal) meaning
"first". It is sometimes added to the name of the first of multiple siblings who share the same given name.
Lawrence m EnglishVariant of
Laurence 1. This spelling of the name is now more common than
Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because
Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.
Layton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from the name of English towns meaning
"town with a leek garden" in Old English. Like similar-sounding names such as
Peyton and
Dayton, this name began rising in popularity in the 1990s.
Lazer m YiddishYiddish variant of
Eliezer. This is the name of a character in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Leander m Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.
Lear m LiteratureForm of
Leir used by Shakespeare for the title character of his tragic play
King Lear (1606).
Lebanah m BiblicalMeans
"moon" in Hebrew, a poetic word derived from
לָבָן (lavan) meaning "white". This name appears briefly in the Old Testament.
Leberecht m German (Rare)Means
"live rightly" from German
lebe "live" and
recht "right". This name was created in the 17th century.
LeBron m African American (Modern)Probably an invented name, though it does coincide with the Spanish surname
Lebrón, derived from
liebre meaning "hare". This is the name of basketball player LeBron James (1984-).
Lech m Polish, Slavic MythologyAccording to Polish legend this was the name of the founder of the Lechites, a group that includes the Poles. The name probably derives from that of the old Slavic tribe the Lendians, called the
Lędzianie in Polish.
... [more] Lee m & f EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Old English
leah meaning
"clearing". The surname belonged to Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), commander of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In his honour, it has been used as a given name in the American South. It is common as a middle name.
Lefty m EnglishFrom a nickname, in most cases given to a left-handed person.
Legacy f & m English (Modern)From the English word, meaning
"something inherited from a predecessor, heritage". It is derived from Old French
legacie, itself from Latin
legatum "bequest, legacy".
Legend m English (Modern)From the English word, referring to a story about the past (or by extension, a heroic character in such a story), ultimately from Latin
legere "to read".
Legolas m LiteratureMeans
"green leaves" in the fictional language Sindarin, from
laeg "green" combined with
go-lass "collection of leaves". In
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Legolas is the son of the elf lord Thranduil and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Lehi m MormonFrom an Old Testament place name meaning
"jawbone" in Hebrew, so called because it was the site where the hero
Samson defeated 1,000 warriors using only the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon. It is also used in the Book of Mormon as the name of a prophet who travels out of Jerusalem and settles in the Americas.
Lei 2 m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
磊 (lěi) meaning "pile of stones" (which is typically masculine) or
蕾 (lěi) meaning "bud" (typically feminine). Other characters can also form this name.
Leib m YiddishMeans
"lion" in Yiddish, from Old High German
lewo. This is a vernacular form of
Arieh.
Leif m Swedish, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Leifr meaning
"descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.
Leighton f & m EnglishVariant of
Layton. It jumped in popularity as a feminine name after 2007, when actress Leighton Meester (1986-) began appearing on the television series
Gossip Girl.
Leigong m Chinese MythologyMeans
"lord of thunder", from Chinese
雷 (léi) meaning "thunder" and
公 (gōng) meaning "lord, prince". This is the name of a Chinese thunder god.
Leilani f & m HawaiianMeans
"heavenly flowers" or
"royal child" from Hawaiian
lei "flowers, lei, child" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Leir m LiteratureThe name of an early king of the Britons, according to the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Leir's name may be connected to the city where he reigned, Leicester (named
Kaerleir by Geoffrey). Alternatively it might be derived from the name of the legendary Welsh figure
Llŷr. The story of Leir and his daughters was later adapted by Shakespeare for his play
King Lear (1606).
Leith m & f English (Rare)From a surname, originally from the name of a Scottish town (now a district of Edinburgh), which is derived from Gaelic
lìte "wet, damp". It is also the name of the river that flows though Edinburgh.
Leland m EnglishFrom a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant
"fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).
Lemminkäinen m Finnish MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly related to Finnish
lempi "love". In the Finnish epic the
Kalevala this is the name of an arrogant hero. After he was killed his mother fetched his body from the River of Death and restored him to life. He is sometimes identified with the god
Ahti.
Lemuel m Biblical, Mormon, Biblical HebrewMeans
"for God" in Hebrew, from the proposition
לְמוֹ (lemo) combined with
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This was the name of a king briefly mentioned in Proverbs in the Old Testament. In the Book of Mormon it is the name of a rebellious son of
Lehi and
Sariah. It is also borne by the hero of Jonathan Swift's novel
Gulliver's Travels (1726).
Lennon m & f English (Modern)From an Irish surname, derived from the Irish byname
Leannán meaning "lover". The surname was borne by musician and Beatle member John Lennon (1940-1980), and it may be used as a given name in his honour. In America it is now more common as a feminine name, possibly inspired in part by the singer Lennon Stella (1999-), who began appearing on the television series
Nashville in 2012.
Lennox m & f English (Modern)From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called
Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names
Lennon and
Knox.
Lenz m GermanShort form of
Lorenz. This is also a German poetic word referring to the springtime.
Leo m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, English, Croatian, Armenian, Late RomanDerived from Latin
leo meaning
"lion", a cognate of
Leon. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), name spelled
Лев in Russian, whose works include
War and Peace and
Anna Karenina. Leo is also a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.
Leofwine m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"dear friend", derived from the Old English elements
leof "dear, beloved" and
wine "friend". This was the name of an 8th-century English saint, also known as
Lebuin, who did missionary work in Frisia.
León m SpanishSpanish form of
Leo and
Leon. This is also the name of a city and province in Spain (see
León), though the etymology is unrelated.
Leon m English, German, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Greek, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
λέων (leon) meaning
"lion". During the Christian era this Greek name was merged with the Latin cognate
Leo, with the result that the two forms are used somewhat interchangeably across European languages. In England during the Middle Ages this was a common name among Jews. A famous bearer was the communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), whose name is
Лев in Russian.
Leonard m English, Dutch, German, Polish, Romanian, GermanicMeans
"brave lion", derived from the Old German elements
lewo "lion" (of Latin origin) and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Noblac who is the patron of prisoners and horses. The Normans brought this name to England, where it was used steadily through the Middle Ages, becoming even more common in the 20th century.
Leonardo m Italian, Spanish, PortugueseItalian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Leonard. A notable bearer was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian artist and scientist of the Renaissance. He is known as the inventor of several contraptions, including flying machines, as well as the painter of the
Mona Lisa. Another famous bearer was Leonardo Fibonacci, a 13th-century Italian mathematician. A more recent bearer is American actor Leonardo DiCaprio (1974-).
Leonhard m GermanGerman form of
Leonard. A famous bearer was the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who made many important contributions to calculus, number theory, geometry and theoretical physics.
Leonidas m Greek, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.