Naming a kid can be agonizing. You have to keep your partner and in-laws happy, worry about what others think, and keep your child’s future in mind. Since your kid will be stuck with the name forever, you want it to be meaningful. And what could be better than a name that means love?
Names that mean love include popular names Mary and David and less well-known names like Cara and Carwyn. There are fewer boy names that mean love or beloved. This is true in English and other languages.
Surprisingly, there are so few names that mean love and beloved. Read on as we explore the meaning and history of some of those names.
Different Ways of Saying Love
Shakespeare asked the question, “What’s in a name?” A variation on that would be “What’s in a word?” Love has many meanings and synonyms, but not all are fitting for a child’s name.
Google “love synonyms,” and you will find synonyms galore. Your dictionary-thesaurus lists 215. Power thesaurus claims to have 726, and wordhippo claims to have 5757 synonyms for love. Since those numbers seem high, Merriam-Webster’s list seems more reasonable.
Webster’s definitions for love include “to hold dear,” “to feel devotion or tenderness for,” and “a feeling of strong dedication to someone.” The following synonyms are listed repeatedly as being related to love:
- Adore
- Affection
- Beloved
- Cherish
- Devotion
- Treasure
Also, the word love can be traced back to the English language’s roots, and it can be found in English writings of the 8th century. Similar words include the Old English lufe, Old High German luba, and the Gothic lubo.
Common Names That Mean Love?
Some names, like Joy and Charity, are clearly related to love. The same is true for Roman and Greek names like Aphrodite, Venus, and Porsche also mean love. However, some of the most common names also mean love. These include Amy, David, Mary, and Philip.
Amy
Amy is the English form of the French name Aimée, and it means “beloved.” The Roman form was Amata, and the Spanish variation is Amada. There is no male English equivalent, but other languages do, including Aimé (French), Amato (Italian), and Amado (Spanish).
Saint Amata lived in the 13th century. Recent famous Amy’s include Amy Winehouse, Amy Poehler, and the politician Amy Klobuchar.
Mary
For a long time, Mary was in the top ten of popular girls’ names, but that began to change in the 1970s. Still, it is a popular name and due for a resurgence.
Mary is a Biblical name. Born by Moses’ sister, in Hebrew, she was called Miryam. There is a dispute about the meaning of Miryam in Hebrew. Still, most people who study onomatology (the study of names) think the name was originally Egyptian and meant “beloved” or “love.”
The list of people named Mary is long, but the most famous is Jesus’ mother. Two English queens, the author of Frankenstein, and the fictional character Mary Poppins share the name.
David
Another Biblical name, David, has been in the top 20 names in English-speaking countries. In Hebrew, the name had two meanings “beloved” and “uncle.” David is used in countries worldwide, although the variations in spelling include Tavii (Finland), Davud (Persia), and the Indonesian Daud.
David is considered a strong, wholesome, and classic name. Although 9 out of 10 people think of it as a masculine name, Davinia, Davida, and Davena are feminine forms.
Philip
Philip comes from Greek and means “friend, lover.” We see the root in Philadelphia (city of brotherly love) and also in the suffix -phile. A bibliophile loves books, and an anglophile loves all things British.
French and Spanish royalty loved the name—six French and five Spanish kings used it. There was even a Pharaoh with the name. It can be spelled Philip or Phillip and is used throughout the northern hemisphere.
Pip or Pippa are sometimes used as feminine forms.
Girl Names That Mean Love?
- Amanda – Popular during the 80s and 90s, it has been around since the 17th century and comes from the Latin Amanda, which means “lovable, worthy of love.” The name is used widely in Europe. The male version, Amando, is used in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Mandy and Mandi are short for Amanda. Actress Amanda Peet and gymnast Amanda Borden are the famous Amanda’s. Boston also recorded the song “Amanda” in 1986.
- Cara, Carina and Karina – These names come from the Latin and mean “dear, beloved.” Although it never really caught on in the United States, the name is popular in Ireland and Scotland.
- Charity, Fancy, and Love – All three names are related to love. Charity means “generous love” and was a common Puritan name. Fancy means “like, love” and is rarely a given name. Love means love, but it occurs so rarely that the last time it landed in the top 1,000 names was 1909 as a boy’s name. The Swedes must like the name since it is currently in the top 100 boy names.
- Jaime and Jamie – And the more common Jamie refers to the French phrase j’aime, for “I love.” Spelling variants include Jami and Jayme.
- Kerensa – If you are looking for an interesting, rarely used name, then this name, which means “love” in Cornish, is one to think about. Keri is a perfect nickname.
Boy Names That Mean Love?
Besides David and Philip, not many boy names mean love or beloved. Here are a few.
- Caron – It is derived from caru, a Welsh word that means “to love.”
- Carwyn – Another Welsh name, the wyn, means “blessed,” so Carwyn could mean “loved and blessed.”
- Erasmus – A Greek name that means “beloved.” Although rarely used, people think it is a masculine, classic, and strong name.
- Jedidiah – A Biblical name that means “beloved of Yahweh.” Although not a common name, it broke the top 1,000 names in America in 2010.
If you don’t like any of these, but you want a boy’s name that means love, don’t give up quite yet. Just be prepared to go international.
What Boy Baby Names Mean Love in Other Languages?
- Anbu – Anbu means “love” in Tamil, a language spoken in the south of India and parts of Sri Lanka.
- Amatus – This late Roman name means “beloved.”
- Aziz – An Arabic name that means “powerful and beloved.” It is common in Persian and central European countries like Turkey. For a time, it was also a popular name in France.
- Chikondi – Means love in Chewa, a language spoken in the southern African countries of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique.
- Habib – Habib is another Arabic name, and it means “beloved, darling.”
- Kealoha – This Hawaiian name translates into “the loved one.” It can be given to boys or girls.
- Prem – A Sanskrit name means “love, affection,” Prem is used in Indian, Hindi, Tamil, and Nepali languages.
- Rudo – When the Shona people in Zimbabwe say Rudo, it means “love.”
What Girl Names Mean Love in Other Languages?
These beautiful names mean love in languages other than English.
- Aiko – The first syllable Ai means “love, affection,” and the second syllable, ko, means “child.”
- Aroha – The indigenous people of New Zealand speak Maori, and Aroha means “love.”
- Astrid – This Scandinavian name comes from the Norse names for “god” and “beautiful, beloved.”
- Diletta – A popular name in Italy, it means “beloved.”
- Kanda – In Thai, this name means “beloved.”
- Mai and Manami – Another Japanese name, it has several meanings, including “real, genuine,” “love, affection,” or “dance.” Manami means “beautiful love.”
- Priya – Sanskrit for “beloved.” In Hindu legends, Priya is the daughter of King Daksha. The name has come in favor in England and Wales.
In the lists below you find 79 girl names that mean love and 44 boy names that mean love. Included in the lists are names that mean loving, beloved, desire, heart, and also names that mean lovely.
79 Girl Names That Mean Love
| Adelpha | Femi |
| Ahava | Freya |
| Aiko | Habiba |
| Aimee | Halia |
| Amada | Imogen |
| Amadea | Ishtar |
| Amala | Kalei |
| Amanda | Kalila |
| Amandine | Kama |
| Amara | Kara |
| Amata | Kerensa |
| Amia | Libi |
| Amora | Love |
| Amoris | Lovella |
| Amy | Luba |
| Aphrodite | Mabli |
| Avila | Maite |
| Aziza | Maitea |
| Cara | Mila |
| Cariad | Milan |
| Carina | Milena |
| Caris | Mina |
| Carita | Myrna |
| Caron | Nayeli |
| Carwen | Nemy |
| Cher | Paris |
| Cherelle | Phila |
| Cheryl | Philippa |
| Cordelia | Philomena |
| Dariela | Philothea |
| Darla | Pippi |
| Darlene | Priya |
| Davida | Querida |
| Davina | Siran |
| Desiree | Suki |
| Elska | Tivona |
| Esha | Valentina |
| Esme | Vashti |
| Venus | |
| Vida | |
| Yaretzi |
44 boy Names That Mean Love
| Amadeus | Fenmore |
| Amado | Habib |
| Amato | Hart |
| Amatus | Janan |
| Amias | Jeb |
| Amor | Jedediah |
| Amore | Kama |
| Aziz | Kiefer |
| Caradoc | Leif |
| Carwyn | Lennan |
| Chaviv | Lennan/Lennon |
| Connelly | Lev |
| Conor | Milos |
| Corwin | Obi |
| Dariel | Paris |
| Darrell | Philip |
| David | Rasmus |
| Davis | Rudo |
| Desi | Sajan |
| Didier | Theophilus |
| Drury | Valentin |
| Erasmus | |
| Eros |
A lot of names mean love. Some names, like Joy and Charity, are clearly related to love. The same is true for Roman and Greek names like Aphrodite, Venus, and Porsche also mean love. However, some of the most common names also mean love. These include Amy, David, Mary, and Philip.
Names related to god´s love are Amadeus (love of God), Carwyn (blessed love), Eldad (God has loved), Goteleib (God beloved) and
Jedidiah (beloved of God). For girls popular names are Adelpha (beloved sister), Valentina (healthy / strong), Eva (Living and Breathing) and Dory (gift of God).
Venus means both love and beauty. The name has Latin origins and meaning of Venus is Goddess of love and beauty.
Bottom Line
We love our kids, but names that mean love are less frequent than you might expect. No matter if a baby is named, somebody loves it.
