Lali f GeorgianMeans
"ruby" in Georgian, of Sanskrit origin.
Lalita f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, ThaiMeans
"playful, charming, desirable" in Sanskrit. According to the Puranas this was the name of one of the gopis, who were milkmaids devoted to the young
Krishna. Additionally, in Shaktism, this is the name of a goddess who is also called Tripura Sundari.
Lalka f BulgarianFrom Bulgarian
лале (lale) meaning
"tulip". It is derived via Turkish from Persian
لاله (lāleh).
Lalla f LiteratureDerived from Persian
لاله (lāleh) meaning
"tulip". This was the name of the heroine of Thomas Moore's poem
Lalla Rookh (1817). In the poem, Lalla, the daughter of the emperor of Delhi, listens to a poet sing four tales.
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.
Lamia 1 f ArabicMeans
"shining, radiant" in Arabic, derived from the root
لمع (lamaʿa) meaning "to shine, to gleam".
Lamia 2 f Greek MythologyPossibly from Greek
λαιμός (laimos) meaning
"throat". In Greek mythology this is the name of a queen of Libya who was a mistress of
Zeus.
Hera, being jealous, kills Lamia's children, causing her to go mad and transform into a monster that hunts the children of others.
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).
Lamya f ArabicDerived from the poetic Arabic word
لمى (lamā) meaning
"dark red lips".
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).
Lani f HawaiianMeans
"sky, heaven, royal, majesty" in Hawaiian.
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.
Laodice f Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Λαοδίκη (Laodike) meaning
"justice of the people", derived from Greek
λαός (laos) meaning "people" and
δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". In Greek mythology this was the name of several women, notably the daughter of King
Priam of Troy. It was also common among the royal family of the Seleucid Empire, being borne by the mother of Seleucus himself (4th century BC).
Laoise f IrishPossibly a newer form of
Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of
Lucy or
Louise.
Lara 1 f Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, CroatianRussian short form of
Larisa. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel
Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965). Between 1965 and 1969 it increased by almost 2,000 percent in the United States, however it is currently much more popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. Another famous fictional bearer is Lara Croft, first appearing in video games in 1996 and movies in 2001.
Larisa f Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek MythologyPossibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant
"citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as
Larissa, with a double
s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed
Larysa.
Larunda f Roman MythologyPossibly connected to Greek
λαλέω (laleo) meaning
"to talk, to chatter", or the Latin term
Lares referring to minor guardian gods. In Roman mythology Larunda or Lara was a water nymph who was overly talkative. She revealed to
Juno that her husband
Jupiter was having an affair with
Juturna, so Jupiter had Larunda's tongue removed. By the god
Mercury she had two children, who were Lares.
Lasha m GeorgianPossibly from a Northwest Caucasian word meaning
"light". This was a name of Giorgi IV, a 13th-century king of Georgia.
Lassie f LiteratureFrom a diminutive of the northern English word
lass meaning
"young girl", a word probably of Norse origin. This name was used by the author Eric Knight for a collie dog in his novel
Lassie Come-Home (1940), later adapted into a popular film and television series.
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.
Laudine f Arthurian CyclePossibly a derivative of
Lot 2 (or derived from the same place name). It was used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for a character in his romance
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Also called the Lady of the Fountain, Laudine married
Yvain after he killed her husband.
Lauma f Latvian, Baltic MythologyMeaning unknown. In Latvian mythology this is the name of a forest spirit sometimes associated with childbirth and weaving.
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).
Laura f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late RomanFeminine form of the Late Latin name
Laurus, which meant
"laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.
... [more] Laurel f EnglishFrom the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin
laurus.
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] Lauretta f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Laura. This is the name of one of the narrators in Boccaccio's book
The Decameron (1350).
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".
Lavinia f Roman Mythology, Romanian, ItalianMeaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of
Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.
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.
LaWanda f African AmericanCombination of the popular prefix
la and the name
Wanda. This name has been used in America since the 1910s. It peaked in popularity in 1977, the same year that actress LaWanda Page (1920-2002) finished portraying the character Aunt Esther on the television comedy
Sanford and Son. It subsequently faded from the charts.
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.
Layan f ArabicMeans
"soft, delicate" in Arabic, from the root
لان (lāna) meaning "to be soft".
Layla f Arabic, EnglishMeans
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
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).
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] 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).
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.
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".
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.
Leida f EstonianMeaning unknown. It was popularized by a character in Estonian writer Andres Saal's historical stories
Vambola (1889) and
Aita (1891). Saal associated it with Estonian
leidma "to find".
Leilani f & m HawaiianMeans
"heavenly flowers" or
"royal child" from Hawaiian
lei "flowers, lei, child" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Lela 1 f GeorgianMeaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a type of plant.
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.
Lena f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Georgian, ArmenianShort form of names ending in
lena, such as
Helena,
Magdalena or
Yelena. It is often used independently.
Leocadia f Spanish, Late RomanLate Latin name that might be derived from the name of the Greek island of
Leucadia or from Greek
λευκός (leukos) meaning
"bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name). Saint Leocadia was a 3rd-century martyr from Spain.
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.
Lestat m LiteratureName used by author Anne Rice for a character in her
Vampire Chronicles series of novels, first released in 1976, where it belongs to the French vampire Lestat de Lioncourt. Rice possibly intended the name to appear derived from Old French or Occitan
l'estat "state, status", though apparently her husband's name
Stan was inspiration.
Leta f EnglishPossibly derived from Latin
laetus meaning
"glad". Otherwise, it could be a short form of names ending in
leta.
Letitia f EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Laetitia meaning
"joy, happiness". This was the name of an obscure saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling
Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.