Lazer m YiddishYiddish variant of
Eliezer. This is the name of a character in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Lea f Hebrew, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, Biblical HebrewForm of
Leah used in several languages.
Leah f English, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word
לָאָה (laʾa) meaning
"weary, grieved". Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian
littu meaning
"cow". In the Old Testament Leah is the first wife of
Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister
Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid
Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.
... [more] Leatrice f EnglishPossibly a combination of
Leah and
Beatrice. This name was first brought to public attention by the American actress Leatrice Joy (1893-1985).
Lebanah m BiblicalMeans
"moon" in Hebrew, a poetic word derived from
לָבָן (lavan) meaning "white". This name appears briefly in the Old Testament.
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.
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).
Levi m Hebrew, English, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical LatinPossibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the New Testament, where it is borne by a son of
Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle
Matthew.
... [more] Leviathan m BiblicalFrom Hebrew
לִוְיָתָן (Liwyaṯan), derived from
לִוְיָה (liwya) meaning
"garland, wreath". This is the name of an enormous sea monster mentioned in the Old Testament.
Lili f German, French, HungarianGerman, French and Hungarian diminutive of
Elisabeth and other names containing
li. It is also sometimes connected to the German word
lilie meaning
"lily".
Lill f Norwegian, SwedishDiminutive of
Elisabet and other names containing
li. It is also associated with Norwegian and Swedish
lille, an inflected form of
liten meaning "little".
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.
Lina 2 f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Lithuanian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, SloveneShort form of names ending in
lina.
Lisbeth f German, Danish, Swedish, NorwegianGerman and Scandinavian short form of
Elisabeth. A notable fictional bearer is Lisbeth Salander from Swedish author Stieg Larsson's novel
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) as well as its sequels and movie adaptations.
Liz f EnglishShort form of
Elizabeth. This is the familiar name of actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).
Lo-Ruhamah f BiblicalMeans
"not loved, not pitied" in Hebrew, from
לֹא (lo) meaning "not" and
רָחַם (raḥam) meaning "to pity, to love". In the Old Testament the prophet
Hosea was told by God, who was displeased with the people of Israel, to name his daughter this.
Lot 1 m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"covering, veil" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a nephew of
Abraham. Before Sodom was destroyed by God, he was directed to flee the city without looking back. However, his wife looked back on the destruction and was turned into a pillar of salt.
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).
Maacah f & m BiblicalDerived from Hebrew
מָעַך (maʿaḵ) meaning
"to press, to crush". This name is borne by both male and female characters in the Old Testament.
Mae f EnglishVariant of
May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.
Mahala f EnglishVariant of
Mahalah or
Mahalath. It has occasionally been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.
Mahlah f & m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
מַחְלָה (Maḥla), derived from
חָלָה (ḥala) meaning
"weak, sick". This name is used in the Old Testament as both a feminine and masculine name. In some versions of the Bible the masculine name is spelled
Mahalah.
Mahli m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
מַחְלִי (Maḥli), derived from
חָלָה (ḥala) meaning
"weak, sick". This is the name of two characters mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
Maija f Finnish, LatvianFinnish and Latvian variant of
Maria or
Marija. The Latvian playwright Anna Brigadere used this name for the main character in her play
Maija un Paija (1922).
Máire f IrishIrish form of
Maria (see
Mary). The form
Muire is used to refer to the Virgin Mary.
Maja 2 f Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovene, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, HungarianDiminutive of
Maria.
Malachi m Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
מַלְאָכִי (Malʾaḵi) meaning
"my messenger" or
"my angel", derived from a possessive form of
מַלְאָךְ (malʾaḵ) meaning "messenger, angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
Malia f Hawaiian, English (Modern)Hawaiian form of
Maria. This name experienced a spike in popularity in 2009, due to the eldest daughter (born 1998) of the new American president Barack Obama.
Malone m & f English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Maoil Eoin meaning
"descendant of a disciple of Saint John".
Manasseh m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
מְנַשֶּׁה (Menashshe) meaning
"causing to forget", a derivative of
נָשָׁה (nasha) meaning "to forget". In the Old Testament this is the name of the oldest son of
Joseph and
Asenath and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was also borne by a 7th-century BC king of Judah, condemned in the Bible for allowing the worship of other gods.
Manuel m Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Romanian, Late Greek (Latinized)Spanish and Portuguese form of
Emmanuel. In the spelling
Μανουήλ (Manouel) it was also used in the Byzantine Empire, notably by two emperors. It is possible this form of the name was transmitted to Spain and Portugal from Byzantium, since there were connections between the royal families (king Ferdinand III of Castile married Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen, who had Byzantine roots, and had a son named Manuel). The name has been used in Iberia since at least the 13th century and was borne by two kings of Portugal.
Māra f Latvian, Baltic MythologyThis was the name of a Latvian mother goddess. Her name is possibly derived from
Maria, identifying her with the Virgin Mary. In modern times this name is used as a variant of
Marija.
Mari 1 f Estonian, Finnish, Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Georgian, ArmenianEstonian, Finnish, Welsh and Breton form of
Maria, as well as a Hungarian diminutive of
Mária. It is also a Scandinavian, Georgian and Armenian form of the French name
Marie.
Maria f & m Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Estonian, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Armenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicLatin form of Greek
Μαρία, from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (see
Mary).
Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is
Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy,
Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.
... [more] Mariah f EnglishVariant of
Maria. It is usually pronounced in a way that reflects an older English pronunciation of
Maria. The name was popularized in the early 1990s by the American singer Mariah Carey (1970-).
Mariami f GeorgianForm of
Mariam with the Georgian nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.
Marian 1 f EnglishVariant of
Marion 1. This name was borne in English legend by Maid Marian, Robin Hood's love. It is sometimes considered a combination of
Mary and
Ann.
... [more] Marianna f Italian, Hungarian, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Russian, Greek, EnglishCombination of
Maria and
Anna. It can also be regarded as a variant of the Roman name
Mariana, or as a Latinized form of
Mariamne.