Girl names that start with L run from the soft and singing (Lila, Leilani) to the sturdy and old-world (Loretta, Lisbet), which is part of why parents keep circling back to this letter.
The sound is doing some of the work. Names researcher Laura Wattenberg, speaking to AARP about the 2025 rankings, said: “We like our names to be very light and very smooth, so Liam and Noah really exemplify that.” The same report counted about 3.6 million Social Security number applications for babies born in 2025, the pool every ranking below is drawn from (1). That liquid L is the one thing all 100 names below share.
Twelve of them placed inside the U.S. top 100 in 2025, led by Liam at #1, Luca at #14 and Lily at #18, while fifteen more are so rare that federal records, which list only names with at least five births in a year, do not show them at all (2). Every entry gives you the origin, the meaning, how to say it, and where the name actually stands today.
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Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Liam, Luca, Lily, Lucy and Luna.
- Liam
- Luca
- Lily
- Lucy
- Luna
100 Popular Female Names for Girls That Start with L
Get ready to sing through these lyrical girl names that start with L.
Lacey
Lacey comes from the Norman surname de Lassy, carried by a family from Lassy in Normandy. The lace association is a happy accident of spelling, though it has shaped how the name feels to most people: light, pretty, a little decorative. Lacey peaked at #116 in 1984 and now sits well down the chart, which is the sweet spot for parents who want a familiar name without a classroom full of them, and it pairs easily with longer, weightier middle names.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: From Lassy
- Pronunciation: LAY-see
- Variations: Lacy, Lasey
- Namesakes: Lacey Nicole Chabert, an American actress known for her role in the TV sitcom All My Children.
- Popularity: Lacey ranked #738 in the U.S. in 2025, given to 370 babies that year, with births down about a third on the previous decade.
Laetitia
Laetitia is Latin for happiness, and few names wear their meaning so plainly. It has been a favorite among French families for generations, and the actress and model Laetitia Casta keeps it in circulation. Laetitia is the original Latin name behind the English Letitia and the Italian Letizia, and the spelling asks a little of American ears, though Tia offers an easy fallback for daily use.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Happiness, joy
- Pronunciation: lah-TEE-shuh
- Variations: Letitia, Letizia
- Namesakes: Laetitia Marie Laure Casta, a French supermodel, and actress known as a Victoria’s Secret Angel and spokesperson for L’Oréal.
- Popularity: Laetitia last appeared in the U.S. data in 2019 at #16,915 and has not charted since, so it is genuinely rare here.
Lail
Lail is the Arabic word for night, and it turns up more often as a surname in English-speaking countries than as a first name. In the Koran, Al-Lail is the ninety-second chapter, titled The Night. The single syllable gives it a clean, modern sound that works for a girl or a boy, and if you like Laila but want something shorter and less expected, Lail is the quiet version.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Night, nighttime, dark
- Pronunciation: Lai-el
- Variations: Laila, Layla, Leela, Leelah, Leilah, Leilia, Lela, Lelah, Lelia, Leyla
- Popularity: Lail does not appear in the U.S. federal name data at all, so it stays outside the ranked names here.
Laila
Laila means night, or born at night, and it carries centuries of Arabic and Hebrew use behind it. The boxer and broadcaster Laila Ali gave it a strong, modern American face. In Nordic countries the same spelling is read as holy, which adds a second layer to an already gentle name, and once tied closely to Muslim families, Laila is now an internationally revered girl’s name that crosses languages without changing shape.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Night, born at night
- Pronunciation: lai-luh
- Variations: Laela, Layla, Leilah, Lyla.
- Namesakes: Laila Ali, an American TV personality and retired boxer, also known as the daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali.
- Popularity: Laila ranked #413 in the U.S. in 2025, with 755 babies given the name, down about a third from its peak decade around 2009.
Lainey
Lainey began as a pet form of Elaine, itself the Old French form of Helen, and now stands comfortably on its own. It has the bouncy, easy sound American parents keep reaching for, and the numbers show it: this is the name’s best year on record. The torch and the full moon carry over from Helen as old symbols, and if you want a name that feels friendly on the first day of school and fine on a resume, Lainey does both.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Bright, shining light
- Pronunciation: LAY-nee
- Variations: Laney, Lany, Lani
- Namesakes: Lainey Lipson, an American actress and singer known for her role as Scene on MyMusic.
- Popularity: Lainey is the highest it has ever been, ranking #30 in the U.S. in 2025 with 5,738 babies given the name, up roughly 400% on the previous decade.
Lake
Lake comes from the Old English lacu and began as a habitational L surname for someone who lived beside water. The actress and director Lake Bell has done most of the work of making it read as a girl’s name. It is calm where Brook is chatty and River is restless, and plenty of parents use it as a middle name first before finding it has grown on them.
- Origin: British, Anglo Saxon
- Meaning: Body of water
- Pronunciation: LAYK
- Variations: Lacke
- Namesakes: Lake Siegel Bell, an American actress, screenwriter, and director known for her roles in various TV series, including Boston Legal and Surface.
- Popularity: Lake ranked #2,068 in the U.S. in 2025, given to 72 babies, and it is rising, up about half on the previous decade.
Lakelyn
Lakelyn is a modern coinage, Lake plus the lyn ending that has carried so many American names since the 1990s. It may also be read as a cousin of the Irish Lachlan, from the land of lakes. Water names tend to feel calm and a little spiritual, and Lakelyn keeps that while sounding thoroughly of its moment, with Lake as the natural everyday version, easy in a way the full name is not.
- Origin: American
- Meaning: Beautiful Lake
- Pronunciation: LAYK-LYN
- Variations: Lachlan
- Popularity: Lakelyn ranked #673 in the U.S. in 2025, its best showing yet, with 421 babies given the name and births up sharply on the previous decade.
Laleh
Laleh is the Persian word for tulip, and the flower does the describing: red tulips are the old symbol of devoted love. The Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh Pourkarim is the name’s best-known bearer. It is a soft and melodic Persian girl’s name that stays easy to say in English, two syllables and no traps, and for parents drawn to flower names beyond Lily and Rose, this one is still wide open.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: Red tulip flower
- Pronunciation: LA-leh
- Namesakes: Laleh Pourkarim, an Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter known for winning three awards at the 2005 Swedish Grammis Awards from seven nominations.
- Popularity: Laleh ranked #9,809 in the U.S. in 2025, with about 10 babies given the name, so it remains very rare here.
Lamiz
Lamiz is Arabic for soft to the touch, a description rather than a symbol. The variant Lamis carries the same meaning and is the more common spelling. There is no second etymology to weigh, which is unusual and rather restful, and Lamiz may be the unique name you have been circling, with a meaning that needs no explaining.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Soft to the touch, tender woman
- Pronunciation: LAH-mis
- Variations: Lamis, Lamees
- Popularity: Lamiz is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, which keeps it genuinely uncommon here.
Lamya
Although an Arabic name, Lamya also has roots in Libya and Greece through Lamia, read as shining or radiant. The singer and producer Lamya Al-Mugheiry sang lead for Soul II Soul. Two syllables, an open ending, a meaning about light: it ticks the boxes most parents are quietly checking, and the Lamia spelling is the one to consider if you want the Greek reading foremost.
- Origin: Arabic, Libyan, Greek
- Meaning: Dark complexion, having dark beautiful lips
- Pronunciation: lahm-YAH
- Variations: Lamia, Lamiya
- Namesakes: Lamya Al-Mugheiry, a Kenyan-born English singer-songwriter and record producer known as one of the lead singers of the R&B group Soul II Soul.
- Popularity: Lamya ranked #7,704 in the U.S. in 2025 with about 14 babies given the name, well down from its 2007 high of #1,452.
Lana
Lana carries several origins at once. In Gaelic it is read as little rock, in Hawaiian as calm as still waters, and the Greek, German and Slavic meanings gather around light and blessedness. It also works as the short form of Alana and Svetlana, so a longer formal name is available if you want one. The actress Lana Condor has kept it in front of a younger audience. Four letters, two syllables, no spelling argument at the pediatrician’s desk.
- Origin: Gaelic, Slavic
- Meaning: Little rock, pure blessed, holy
- Pronunciation: LAAH-na
- Variations: Lahna, Lanah, Sveta, Svetka
- Namesakes: Lana Therese Condor, an American actress, producer, and singer known for her role as Jubilee in the superhero film X-Men.
- Popularity: Lana ranked #406 in the U.S. in 2025 with 768 babies given the name, up about 17% on the previous decade after first charting in 1885.
Lane
Lane comes from the Old English lane or lanu, a narrow path between hedges. It is a common surname as well as a given name, and it reads as a popular unisex name in practice, not just in theory. The Lane coat of arms carries a lion for courage, and simple, short and unfussy, it is the kind of name that never needs repeating over the phone.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Small roadway or path
- Pronunciation: LAY-n
- Variations: Layne, Lanie
- Namesakes: Lane Clyde Frost, an American professional rodeo cowboy known for winning the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider and was a 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee.
- Popularity: Lane ranked #250 in the U.S. in 2025, and its 1,383 births that year are the most it has ever recorded, up about 29% on the previous decade.
Laney
Laney started as a nickname for Elaine and has been used as a standalone name for girls only over the past few decades. The musician and singer-songwriter Laney Jones is one of the few well-known bearers. It sounds softer than Lane while sharing all of Lane’s easiness, and parents who love Lainey but want the spelling that looks a little more settled tend to land here.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Bright shining one, from the lane
- Pronunciation: LAY-nee
- Variations: Lainie, Lanee, Lainee, Lani
- Namesakes: Laney Jones, an American musician, and singer-songwriter, known for her vocals and is a multi-instrumentalist.
- Popularity: Laney ranked #674 in the U.S. in 2025 with 421 babies given the name, holding roughly steady over the last decade.
Lapis
Lapis takes its name from lapis lazuli, the deep blue stone that ancient physicians credited with healing powers. It is a jewel name that has escaped the usual jewel-name crowd of Ruby, Pearl and Jade. The sound is crisp and a little unexpected, two clean syllables ending in a soft s, and for a girl with blue eyes, or simply parents who love blue, it is a striking choice that nobody else in the room will be using.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: Azure blue stone
- Pronunciation: lae-pih-s
- Variations: Lapi, Lape, Lappi
- Popularity: Lapis is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, so no ranking exists for it here.
Lara
Lara descends from the Latin lares, the household gods a Roman family honored together, and from a noble line of Gothic kings in Castile. In Ovid’s Fasti, Lara is a spirit famous for her beauty and for being unable to keep a secret, which is either a warning or a promise. The actress Lara Flynn Boyle carried it through the 1990s, and it is short, softly rolled and internationally legible, never sounding like it is trying.
- Origin: Latin, Spanish
- Meaning: Laurel wreath, seagull, citadel, bright, famous, graceful, cheerful
- Pronunciation: LAAH-ra, luh-ra
- Variations: Larae, Laura Laurentia,
- Namesakes: Lara Flynn Boyle, an American actress best known for her role in the TV series Twin Peaks.
- Popularity: Lara ranked #693 in the U.S. in 2025 with 409 babies given the name, up about 41% on the previous decade after peaking at #223 in 1969.
Larissa
Larissa comes to us through Greek mythology as a nymph, the daughter of Pegasus. In 1991 her name was given to a moon of Neptune, so the mythology has a second life in the sky. The English actress Larissa Wilson brought it to a younger audience, and three syllables give it more formality than most L names here, though Lara or Rissa trims it down when you want something quicker.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Citadel
- Pronunciation: luh-rih-suh
- Variations: Larisa
- Namesakes: Larissa Hope Wilson, an English actress best known for her role in the U.K. TV series Skins.
- Popularity: Larissa ranked #1,646 in the U.S. in 2025 with 126 babies given the name, down roughly half on the previous decade after peaking at #363 in 1994.
Larmina
Larmina is Persian for blue sky, an image with an obvious pull for parents who like open, airy meanings. The sound is vintage without being fussy, closer to Wilhelmina than to anything trendy. Mina waits inside it as an easy, playful short form, and if your shortlist is full of names everyone recognizes, Larmina is the one that will still surprise you in a month.
- Origin: Persian, Afghani
- Meaning: Blue sky
- Pronunciation: luhr-mee-nah
- Popularity: Larmina is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, which puts it among the rarest names on this list.
Larunda
In Roman myth, Larunda was a water nymph who could not resist sharing a secret, and it cost her. The name is often linked to the Greek laleo, to talk or chatter, and to the Lares, the minor guardian gods of the Roman household. Her story ends better than most myths of its kind: she and Mercury had two children, and it is a bold pick and a genuine conversation piece for anyone who loves classical names.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Talkative
- Pronunciation: LUHR-ihn-DAH
- Variations: Lara
- Popularity: Larunda is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, so no ranking exists for it here.
Latifah
Latifah is the Arabic feminine of Latif, meaning gentle or kind. Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, has carried it since the late 1980s across rap, film and television, which is why the name reads as confident rather than delicate. The meaning is warm without being sugary, a balance that is harder to find than it sounds, and Tifa and Lati both work as everyday short forms.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Gentle, pleasant
- Pronunciation: luh-tee-fuh
- Variations: Lateefah, Lateiffa
- Namesakes: Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, a well-known American rapper and actress.
- Popularity: Latifah ranked #14,160 in the U.S. in 2025 with about six babies given the name, far below its 1990 peak of #701.
Latonya
Latonya traces back through Tonya to the Roman family name Antonius, gathered up later into Christian use through Saint Anthony of Egypt. It belongs to a whole family of American names built with the La prefix, most of which peaked in the same era. That timing is exactly why it now feels ready for a second look, and Latonya is a lovely Roman feminine name that is both charming and, at this point, genuinely rare.
- Origin: Etruscan, Roman
- Meaning: Highly praiseworthy
- Pronunciation: la-TON-yah
- Variations: Latonia
- Popularity: Latonya last charted in the U.S. in 2022 at #16,655 and is now well past its 1974 peak of #197.
Laura
Laura is the feminine of the Latin Laurus, the bay laurel whose leaves crowned Roman victors. That image of triumph has stuck to the name for two thousand years without ever making it heavy. It has been in the U.S. data continuously since 1880. The voice actress Laura Bailey is among its many bearers. Laura is the rare classic that has never had a fashionable phase to live down.
- Origin: Latin, Roman
- Meaning: Bay laurel plant, laurel leaves, triumph, victory
- Pronunciation: LAW-RA, LAWR-a
- Variations: Laurentia, Lauren, Lauriana, Lara, Laure, Lora
- Namesakes: Laura Bailey, an American voice actress known for her role as Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z.
- Popularity: Laura ranked #379 in the U.S. in 2025 with 805 babies given the name, down about 28% on the previous decade but far from gone since its 1969 high of #10.
Laurelin
Laurelin is a literary invention, J.R.R. Tolkien’s golden tree of Valinor, its name read as land of the valley of the singing gold. The novelist Laurelin Paige has since made it a byline. It sits close enough to Lauren to feel wearable and far enough away to feel chosen. Laurel is the easy fallback if daily life calls for something shorter.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Song of gold
- Pronunciation: LAWR-a-lyn
- Namesakes: Laurelin Paige, an American author known for her many novels that have hit the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today’s best-selling lists.
- Popularity: Laurelin ranked #8,639 in the U.S. in 2025 with about 12 babies given the name, so it is still very rare here.
Laurentia
Laurentia is the feminine of Laurence, from Laurentium, the place of the laurel tree, and it carries the same victory symbolism as Laura in a longer, grander line. Four syllables give it real ceremony. Ren and Thea are the nicknames that make it livable day to day, both feeling modern, and for parents who want Laura’s roots without Laura’s familiarity, this is the road less taken.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: From Laurentium, the place of the laurel tree
- Pronunciation: lah-REHN-chee-ah
- Popularity: Laurentia is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, so it has no ranking here.
Laverne
Laverne comes from the Gaulish vern, meaning alder, and began life as a French surname. It is also tied to the Roman goddess Laverna and to the Latin vernus, of spring. In Celtic tradition the alder stood for balance between male and female principles, which suits a name that has always worked for either, and the actress Laverne Cox has given it a contemporary presence that its 1920s heyday never predicted.
- Origin: Latin, French
- Meaning: Springlike, alder tree
- Pronunciation: la-VURN
- Variations: LaVerne
- Namesakes: Laverne Cox, an American actress known for her role in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.
- Popularity: Laverne last charted in the U.S. in 2024 at #8,706, a long way from its 1927 peak of #274.
Lavinia
Lavinia belongs to Roman legend as the wife of Aeneas, in whose honor the town of Lavinium was named, and she was counted the mother of the Roman people. The Renaissance painter Lavinia Fontana added a second layer of history. It is a typical prim and proper Victorian name, which is exactly why it is climbing again, and Vinnie and Livvy keep it from ever sounding stiff.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: From Lavinium
- Pronunciation: la-VIN-ee-a
- Namesakes: Lavinia Fontana, an Italian Renaissance painter best known for her successful portraiture, mythology, and religious paintings.
- Popularity: Lavinia ranked #2,290 in the U.S. in 2025 with 80 babies given the name, up about 82% on the previous decade.
Layla
Layla stems from the Hebrew layl, meaning night, and is often read as daughter of the night. Eric Clapton’s 1970 song sent it into wide American use, and it has never really left. The wrestler Layla El is among its better-known bearers. It has sat inside the U.S. top 100 for years now, so expect your daughter to meet another one eventually, and expect her not to mind.
- Origin: Persian, Hebrew, Arabic
- Meaning: Night, dark, dark beauty
- Pronunciation: LIE-la, LAY-la
- Variations: Laila, Leila, Laylah, Leyla, Lejla, Leighla
- Namesakes: Layla El, an English real estate agent and retired professional wrestler and model best known for her tenure with WWE from 2006 to 2015.
- Popularity: Layla ranked #36 in the U.S. in 2025 with 5,338 babies given the name, up about 20% on the previous decade and just off its 2019 best of #23.
Lea
Lea comes from the Hebrew le’ah, usually translated as weary, though the biblical Leah is anything but a minor figure. The spelling travels well: Slovak, Scandinavian, German and English families all use it, sometimes saying it LEE-ah and sometimes LAY-ah. The actress Lea Thompson is the American reference point, and with three letters and one soft sound, a middle name of almost any length will sit comfortably behind it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Weary
- Pronunciation: LEE-ah
- Variations: Leia, Leah, Leja
- Namesakes: Lea Katherine Thompson, an American actress and director best known for her role in the Back to the Future film trilogy.
- Popularity: Lea ranked #848 in the U.S. in 2025 with 321 babies given the name, holding fairly steady over the last decade.
Lealla
Lealla belongs to the large Arabic and Hebrew family of night names, read as an eternal beauty of the night. The doubled l gives it a lilt that Leila and Layla do not quite have. It is the softest-sounding name in this stretch of the list and one of the least used, and if you want the familiar Layla sound with none of the familiarity, Lealla is the answer.
- Origin: Arabic, Hebrew
- Meaning: An eternal beauty of the night
- Pronunciation: Le-AL-la
- Variations: Leala
- Popularity: Lealla is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, so it has no ranking here.
Leanne
Leanne joins Lee and Anne, from the Old English leah for meadow and the Hebrew channah for grace. Blended names like this one had their American moment in the 1960s and 1970s, which is why Leanne now reads as your favorite aunt rather than your daughter. The English singer Leanne Mitchell won the first series of The Voice UK, and names of this shape tend to come back once the generation that wore them has grandchildren, with Leanne due.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Graceful meadow
- Pronunciation: lee-ANN
- Variations: Leeann, LeAnne, Lianne
- Namesakes: Leanne Mitchell, an English singer-songwriter known for winning the first series of The Voice UK on 2 June 2012.
- Popularity: Leanne ranked #2,503 in the U.S. in 2025 with 71 babies given the name, down about a quarter on the previous decade and far below its 1966 peak of #320.
Ledora
Ledora points to the laurel tree, the aromatic evergreen also called bay laurel. It has served as both a surname and a given name. It is one of the older American rarities on this list, in the data as far back as 1896 and gone since the mid-1980s. The sound is warm and southern, sitting near Ledora’s cousins Theodora and Isadora. Dora is the ready short form, and it has come back into style ahead of the full name.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Laurel tree
- Pronunciation: le-DOOR-rah
- Variations: Leadora, Leodora, Laurel
- Popularity: Ledora last appeared in the U.S. data in 1984 at #9,814 and has not charted since, so it is effectively out of use.
Leeza
Leeza is the Hebrew diminutive of Aleeza, meaning joy. It doubles as a short form of Elizabeth. The broadcaster Leeza Gibbons put the spelling in front of a national audience in the 1990s, which is when its numbers peaked. The z gives it a snap that Lisa and Liza lack. It is a cheerful name whose meaning matches its sound, which does not happen as often as you would think.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Joy, God’s promise
- Pronunciation: LEE-za
- Namesakes: Leeza Kim Gibbons, an American talk show host known as a correspondent and co-host for Entertainment Tonight and for having her own daytime talk show, Leeza.
- Popularity: Leeza last charted in the U.S. in 2021 at #14,492, well below its 1994 peak of #1,474.
Leigh
Leigh comes from the Middle English legh and the Old English leah. Both terms point to a clearing in a forest or open ground. The science fiction writer and screenwriter Leigh Brackett, who worked on The Big Sleep and Rio Bravo, is its most quietly famous bearer. It has spent decades as America’s default feminine middle name, which is a fine reason to give it the first slot instead. One syllable, no fuss, and it pairs with almost anything.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Pasture, meadow
- Pronunciation: LEE
- Variations: Lee
- Namesakes: Leigh Douglass Brackett, an American science fiction writer known for The Big Sleep (1946), Rio Bravo (1959), and The Long Goodbye (1973).
- Popularity: Leigh ranked #4,504 in the U.S. in 2025 with 31 babies given the name, a long way from its 1969 peak of #201.
Leilani
Leilani joins the Hawaiian lei, for flowers, with lani, for sky or heaven. Together they carry an association with royalty in Hawaiian culture. Bing Crosby’s Sweet Leilani won an Academy Award for its song, which is how most of the mainland first heard it. The actress Leilani Sarelle is another bearer. It has climbed steadily rather than spiking, the pattern that usually means a name is settling in for a long stay.
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Meaning: Heavenly garland of flowers, royal child
- Pronunciation: lay-LAAH-nee, lay-LA-nee
- Namesakes: Leilani Sarelle Figalan, an American actress best known for her role as Roxy in the 1992 film Basic Instinct.
- Popularity: Leilani ranked #60 in the U.S. in 2025, and its 3,792 births that year are the most it has ever recorded, up about 150% on the previous decade.
Leilyn
Leilyn is a modern respelling in the Layla family. It is given most often to girls born at night. The Leilynn variant is read in Swedish as waterfall of flowers, which is a lovely image for a name this new. Because it is barely two decades old in the data, it still feels invented in the best way. Lily and Lyn are both sitting inside it if you want a shorter everyday name.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: A dark beauty that is born in the nighttime
- Pronunciation: L-EI-lyn
- Variations: Leilynn, Laylynn, Lailyn, Laelynn, Laelian
- Popularity: Leilyn ranked #12,621 in the U.S. in 2025 with about seven babies given the name, and it first charted only in 2005.
Lene
Lene is a Norse and Danish pet form of Helena. It comes with Helena’s whole cluster of meanings: torch, light, bright, shining. It is also another name for St Elmo’s fire, the glow sailors once saw on their masts. The Norwegian singer-songwriter Lene Marlin is among its bearers. Say it LEH-neh and it sounds Scandinavian; say it LEEN and it sounds like it has always been American.
- Origin: Danish, Norse
- Meaning: Distinguished
- Pronunciation: LEH-neh, LEH-na
- Namesakes: Lene Marlin, a Norwegian singer-songwriter known for her single You Weren’t There, released in 2003.
- Popularity: Lene last appeared in the U.S. data in 2013 at #18,137 and has not charted since.
Lennan
Lennan comes from the Irish Leannan, meaning sweetheart. It should not be confused with the Gaelic surname Lennon. Despite the soft an ending it is currently used more for boys than girls in the United States. That leaves it wide open for a daughter, especially alongside Rowan, Nolan and the other n-ending Irish names parents already love. The meaning is about as warm as a name gets.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Sweetheart, lover
- Pronunciation: len-NAN, l-EH-nuhn
- Popularity: Lennan ranked #14,188 in the U.S. in 2025 with about six babies given the name, having first charted only in 2013.
Lenora
Lenora is a shortened form of Eleanora, read as light, and in French it also touches the surname Noir, meaning black. Light and dark in one name is an odd inheritance, and somehow it balances. The British actress Lenora Crichlow carries it well. Its numbers have quadrupled in ten years, which puts it firmly in the revived-vintage class alongside Nora and Eleanor. Nora is the obvious nickname, and Len is the one nobody expects.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Light, black
- Pronunciation: leh-NOOR-ah, le-NAWR-a
- Variations: Leonora, Lenoira, Lenoire
- Namesakes: Lenora Isabella Crichlow, a British actress known for her role in the TV drama series Sugar Rush.
- Popularity: Lenora ranked #539 in the U.S. in 2025 with 562 babies given the name, up sharply, roughly 280% on the previous decade.
Leonie
Leonie is the feminine of the Latin Leon, meaning lion. It belongs with the charming nature-inspired names that have taken over shortlists. A lioness is a compliment worth handing a daughter: watchful, unhurried, not to be crossed. The Dutch singer Leonie Meijer is one bearer. American parents are still deciding between LAY-oh-nee and leh-oh-NEE, so pick your pronunciation and stick to it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Lioness
- Pronunciation: LEH-o-nee, leh-o-NEE, LAY-on-ee
- Variations: Leonia
- Namesakes: Leonie Meijer, a Dutch singer-songwriter known for her music and her part in the 2011 Michael Jackson tribute concert.
- Popularity: Leonie ranked #2,291 in the U.S. in 2025, its 80 births that year being the most it has recorded, up about 150% on the previous decade.
Lerola
Lerola is Latin for blackbird. It is also said to be of Brazilian origin, possibly through early Spanish influence in South America, though that path is not certain. It is a bird name that has escaped notice while Wren and Lark were being discovered. The rhythm is pure and rolling, three open syllables. Lee and Rollie are both there as nicknames, and neither sounds anything like the other.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Blackbird
- Pronunciation: le-ROLA, LEH- raw-luh
- Popularity: Lerola is not recorded in the U.S. federal name data, so it has no ranking here.
Lesley
Lesley comes from the place name Lesslyn, a garden of hollies. It is the namesake of Scotland’s Clan Leslie, whose symbol is the griffin and whose motto is grip fast. The English actress Lesley Dunlop has carried it through a long television career. This is the ie spelling’s quieter sibling, and at the moment it is the fastest-falling name here. That is not a warning so much as an opportunity: nobody in your daughter’s class will share it.
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: Small meadow, garden of holly
- Pronunciation: LEHZ-lee, LEHS-lee
- Variations: Leslie
- Namesakes: Lesley Jane Dunlop, an English actress known for her roles in the Doctor Who serial Frontios, Where the Heart Is, May to December, and the TV soap opera Emmerdale.
- Popularity: Lesley ranked #4,617 in the U.S. in 2025 with 30 babies given the name, and its births are down about 74% on the previous decade, the steepest fall of any name on this list.
Lettie
Lettie comes from the Old High German Adalhaid, tied to nobility. It also doubles as a diminutive of the Latin Letitia, which brings joy and gladness into the mix. It is an old-fashioned name that has done more than make a comeback: after peaking in 1913 and nearly vanishing by the early 1980s, it is back near its historic peak in births. Lottie, Hettie and Maisie are riding the same wave. If you like a name with a story arc, this one has the best on the page.
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: Noble kind, of the noble sort
- Pronunciation: leh-tee
- Variations: Letty
- Popularity: Lettie ranked #757 in the U.S. in 2025 with 358 babies given the name, and it is the fastest riser on this list, up about 520% on the previous decade.
Levant
Levant comes from the Latin levo by way of the Italian levante and the French levant. All three circle the idea of rising. The term names the Mediterranean lands east of Italy, the direction of the rising sun, and it started out as a habitational surname. As a given name it has been used almost never, which for some parents is the entire appeal. It is one of the boldest picks on this list and the meaning behind it is quietly hopeful.
- Origin: Latin, French
- Meaning: Rising, to rise
- Pronunciation: le-VANT, luhv-AA-nt
- Popularity: Levant appears in the U.S. data only for 1954, at #4,139, and has not charted in any year since.
Lex
Lex is the short form of the Greek Alexandros. It now stands on its own for girls and boys alike. The actor Lex Barker played Tarzan for RKO. Three letters, one hard ending, no ambiguity: it is about as economical as a name gets. Parents who love Alexandra but not its length often end up here without ever using the long form.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Defending men
- Pronunciation: LEHKS
- Variations: Alex
- Namesakes: Lex Barker, an American actor best known for his role as Tarzan for RKO Pictures.
- Popularity: Lex ranked #2,322 in the U.S. in 2025 with 60 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade.
Lexi
Lexi is the English short form of Alexis, Alexandra and Alexander. It arrived as a standalone name in the 1990s. It rose fast, peaked in the mid-2010s and is easing back down, which is the normal life of a nickname name. That timing works in your favor now: it is familiar without being everywhere. Alexandra still waits behind it if you want a longer name on the birth certificate.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: To defend, defender of men
- Pronunciation: LEHK-see
- Variations: Lexie, Lexy
- Popularity: Lexi ranked #628 in the U.S. in 2025 with 464 babies given the name, down about 29% on the previous decade after peaking at #241 in 2014.
Li
Li is a common Chinese given name. Its meaning shifts with the bearer: powerful for a boy, pretty for a girl. Those old assignments say more about the era than the name, and Li itself has outlasted them. As a Hebrew name, Li is also unisex and means to me. Two letters, one syllable, and it works in more languages than almost anything else you will consider.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Black, stand, establish, pretty, powerful
- Pronunciation: LEE
- Popularity: Li last charted in the U.S. in 2023 at #11,691, so it stays very rare in the federal data.
Liadawn
Liadawn comes out of Irish folklore. It joins Lia and Dawn, together read as the grey lady. It is old-style Gaelic in feel but flexible in use: split it and you have a first and middle name ready made. The three syllables give it more room than most names on this list. Lia and Dawn are both perfectly good names on their own, which is a rare kind of insurance.
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: Grey lady from Irish folklore
- Pronunciation: LEE-a-DAWN
- Popularity: The federal name data has no record of Liadawn, so there is no ranking to report.
Liah
Liah gathers Latin and Hebrew roots. It is also an Assyrian name read as mistress. Other readings run to cow, God is abundance, God is my oath, dedicated to Jupiter. That range means you can pick the meaning you like and be honest about it. It is the newest-feeling spelling in the Leah and Lia family, and the one that has more than doubled in a decade.
- Origin: Latin, Hebrew
- Meaning: Weary, lioness
- Pronunciation: LEE-uh
- Variations: Lia, Leah, Liya
- Popularity: Liah ranked #1,322 in the U.S. in 2025 with 169 babies given the name, up about 126% on the previous decade.
Liam
Liam began as a nickname for the Irish Uilliam. That name is itself the Irish handling of the Norman William. It has been the country’s most-used name for years now, so it is included here as the L name every other L name is measured against rather than as a suggestion for a daughter. The actor Liam Hemsworth is among the many public bearers. If you love the sound but not the ubiquity, Liana, Lior and Lennan sit nearby on this list.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Resolute protector
- Pronunciation: LEE-am, LEE-uhm
- Variations: Lyam
- Namesakes: Liam Hemsworth, an Australian actor known for his role in the TV soap opera Neighbours.
- Popularity: Liam ranked #1 in the U.S. in 2025 with 20,818 babies given the name, the highest-ranked name on this entire list.
Liana
Liana works as a short form of Juliana and Lilliana. It stands alone just as well. Spelled Liyana it is an indirect Quranic name for softness and tenderness, and in French it touches lier, to bind, the word behind the climbing vine. Growth that is steady and holds on tight is not a bad thing to name a daughter after. This is the highest Liana has ever ranked, so you would be catching it on the way up.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: To be bound by vines, my God has answered
- Pronunciation: Lee-AN-a, LYA-na
- Variations: Liyana, Lyana, Leana, Leanna
- Namesakes: Liana Daine Liberato, an American actress known for her role in the 2014 film The Best of Me.
- Popularity: Liana ranked #386 in the U.S. in 2025, its best year on record, with 801 babies given the name and births up about 45% on the previous decade.
Liane
Liane comes from the Roman family name Aelianus. That name traces back to the Greek helios, meaning sun. It is used across French and German-speaking families and reads as daughter of the sun. The Canadian actress Liane Balaban is a bearer. Where Liana climbs, Liane stays put, and its single closing syllable gives it a cooler, more clipped finish.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Daughter of the sun, youthful
- Pronunciation: LYA-ne, LEE-ann
- Variations: Juliane, Leeanne, Lianne
- Namesakes: Liane Balaban, a Canadian actress known for her role in the film New Waterford Girl.
- Popularity: Liane ranked #10,556 in the U.S. in 2025 with about nine babies given the name, well below its 1959 peak of #942.
Liba
Liba comes from the ancient Germanic leubha, meaning dear or friendly. It also serves as a diminutive for names beginning with lieb. In Yiddish, libe means love. That is the reading most families use. It is short, warm and almost unheard of outside Jewish communities in the United States. This is the highest it has ever placed in the federal data, so it is quietly on the move.
- Origin: Yiddish
- Meaning: Love
- Pronunciation: LEE-ba
- Variations: Leeba
- Popularity: Liba ranked #2,598 in the U.S. in 2025, its best showing yet, with 67 babies given the name and births up about 62% on the previous decade.
Libi
Libi comes from the Hebrew lev, heart. In a possessive form, it means my heart. As terms of endearment turned into names go, it is hard to beat. It is genuinely new in the American data. It was first recorded less than twenty years ago. Parents hunting for an underused two-syllable name with a meaning they can explain in three words tend to stop here.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: My heart
- Pronunciation: Lee-bee
- Popularity: Libi ranked #5,330 in the U.S. in 2025, its best year yet, with 24 babies given the name after first charting in 2007.
Licarayen
Licarayen joins the Mapuche likan, a black stone. It pairs that with rayen, meaning flower. In the legend attached to it, Licarayen was a maiden who gave her own life to calm the evil spirit of a volcano. Stone and flower in one name is a striking combination. The story behind it is the kind a child will ask to hear twice. Rayen works beautifully as a short form.
- Origin: Mapuche Native American
- Meaning: Stone flower
- Pronunciation: LEE-kah-rye-YEN
- Popularity: No U.S. federal ranking exists for Licarayen; it has never appeared in the Social Security data.
Lieke
Lieke is the Dutch version of Angelique. It is read as angelic or messenger. The footballer Lieke Martens has made it familiar to anyone who follows the women’s game. The spelling is the only hurdle for American ears. It is said LEE-kuh rather than as it looks. Get past that and you have a soft, two-syllable name with an unusually lovely meaning.
- Origin: Dutch
- Meaning: Angelic, angel, messenger
- Pronunciation: LEE-kuh
- Variations: Lyke
- Namesakes: Lieke Martens, a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Division 1 Féminine club Paris Saint-Germain and the Netherlands national team.
- Popularity: Lieke does not show up in the U.S. federal name data at all, leaving it unranked here.
Lila
Lila comes from the Arabic laylah for night and is also read in Sanskrit as play, and in French as good night. It doubles as the feminine of Lyle. The country singer Lila McCann is one bearer. Two open syllables and a soft middle consonant give it the smooth, unhurried sound parents keep gravitating toward, and it has been steady in the top 200 for years without ever feeling overused.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Night beauty, dark beauty
- Pronunciation: LEE-la, LY-la
- Variations: Lyla, Lilah
- Namesakes: Lila Elaine McCann, an American country music singer known for her debut single Down Came a Blackbird off her album titled Lila.
- Popularity: Lila ranked #187 in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,670 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade near its 2010 peak of #155.
Lilac
Lilac traces back through the Arabic laylak and the Persian nylac, both meaning blue, and arrives in English as the flower. Lilacs bloom only after a hard winter, which is a fine thing to hand a daughter along with her name. It is a flower name still outside the crowded Lily, Rose and Violet lane, and its numbers have nearly tripled in ten years. Lila sits inside it if you want the softer version.
- Origin: English, Persian
- Meaning: Bluish-purple flower
- Pronunciation: LEI-lak
- Variations: Laylak
- Popularity: Lilac ranked #4,131 in the U.S. in 2025 with 35 babies given the name, up about 175% on the previous decade.
Lillian
Lillian is the English elaboration of Lily, from the Latin lilium, and it has been in continuous use since the federal data began in 1880. It peaked at #15 in 1915 and remains at #57 in 2025, more than a century later. The silent film actress Lillian Gish worked across seventy-five years of movies. It is the version of Lily with a full name behind it, and Lil, Lily and Ann are all yours for free.
- Origin: Latin, English
- Meaning: Lily, pledged to God
- Pronunciation: LIL-ee-an, LILL-ee-uhn
- Variations: Lilian, Liliana, Lilyann
- Namesakes: Lillian Diana Gish, an American actress, director, and screenwriter known for her film-acting career that spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987.
- Popularity: Lillian ranked #57 in the U.S. in 2025 with 3,966 babies given the name, one of twelve names on this list inside the current top 100.
Liliana
Liliana grows from the same lily root and is the Spanish and Italian version of Lillian. The Mexican actress Liliana Abud is among its bearers. Four syllables that all flow forward make it one of the most musical names on this list, and it currently sits at the highest rank it has ever held. Lili, Lia and Ana are the everyday short forms, and each gives a different personality.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Flower, lily
- Pronunciation: Li-lee-AH-nuh, Lily-ahna
- Variations: Lillyanna, Lilianna, Lilyana
- Namesakes: Liliana Abud, a Mexican telenovela and cinema actress known for her role in the educational TV program Destinos.
- Popularity: Liliana ranked #78 in the U.S. in 2025, its best year on record, with 3,118 babies given the name and births up about 20% on the previous decade.
Lilith
Lilith derives from the Akkadian lilitu, of the night, and comes with an unusually complicated resume: night monster in one tradition, Adam’s first wife in another, banished for refusing to submit. That backstory is exactly why the name has nearly quadrupled in a decade. It is dark without being grim and old without sounding dusty. Lily takes the edge off if the mythology feels like too much for daily use.
- Origin: Arabic, Assyrian, Sumerian
- Meaning: Belonging to the night
- Pronunciation: LIL-ith
- Variations: Lillith
- Namesakes: Lilith Naggar, also known as Layla Najar, a renowned Israeli Arabic-language television host, actress, and singer.
- Popularity: Lilith ranked #277 in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,111 babies given the name, up about 270% on the previous decade.
Lily
Lily comes from the Latin lilium, the flower long read as purity and rebirth. It has been in the U.S. data every year since 1880 and inside the top 25 for most of this century, which makes it the most reliably popular flower name in English. The actress Lily Rabe is one of many bearers. Choose it knowing it is well used, because the sound and the image have earned it.
- Origin: Latin, English
- Meaning: Lily flower, pure
- Pronunciation: LIL-ee
- Variations: Lilly, Lillie
- Namesakes: Lily Rabe, an American actress best known for her multiple roles in the American Horror Story series.
- Popularity: Lily ranked #18 in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,673 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade near its 2011 peak of #15.
Lina
Lina works as a nickname for Carolina and stands alone across half of Europe. In Hebrew it touches garden, in French little and strong, and in Russian illumination. The actress and director Lina Esco is a bearer. Whichever origin you claim, the name is four letters long, said the same way in most languages, and rising steadily in the United States.
- Origin: Greek, German
- Meaning: Sunlight, beautiful girl, tender, light of spirit
- Pronunciation: LEE-nah
- Variations: Leena, Lyna, Leina, Leyna
- Namesakes: Lina Esco, an American actress, producer, and director known for her role in the TV drama series Cane.
- Popularity: Lina ranked #572 in the U.S. in 2025 with 527 babies given the name, up about 56% on the previous decade.
Linda
Linda started as a nickname for names carrying the lind element and was reinforced by the Spanish linda, beautiful. In 1947 it toppled Mary, which had held the top spot for generations, and it stayed at or near number one through the 1950s. Nearly 1.5 million American girls have been given the name since records began. The singer Linda Ronstadt carried it through four decades of hits. Names this dominant take a long time to feel fresh again, and Linda is still a long way from its 1947 peak.
- Origin: Latin, Spanish
- Meaning: Pretty one
- Pronunciation: LIN-duh
- Variations: Lynda, Linnda
- Namesakes: Linda Ronstadt, an American singer in various genres who has won many Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award over four decades.
- Popularity: Linda ranked #902 in the U.S. in 2025 with 294 babies given the name, down about 26% on the previous decade, a long way from 1947 when it was the single most popular name in the country.
Lindsey
Lindsey is a variant of Lindsay, originally an English surname read as Lincoln’s marsh or island of the linden trees. The sey ending is the reason this spelling drifted toward girls while Lindsay held on longer as a boy’s name. The country singer Lindsey Cardinale is a bearer. It is a solid 1980s name currently in its quiet decade, which is when the smart shortlists tend to pick names up.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Marshlands of Lincolnshire
- Pronunciation: LIN-zee
- Namesakes: Lindsey Michelle Cardinale, an American country singer known for her 2006 maxi-single featuring the songs Drive and Nothin’ Like a Dream.
- Popularity: Lindsey ranked #1,369 in the U.S. in 2025 with 161 babies given the name, down about 71% on the previous decade after peaking at #35 in 1983.
Linna
Linna is the Nordic variation of Linn or Lina and is a common Finnish and Estonian surname as well as a given name. Its meanings pile up pleasantly: free woman and warrior from Lina, soft and mild from Linn, and castle or fortress straight from Finnish. Soft and fortified in the same name is a fair description of a good many mothers. It is the rarest spelling in the Lina family and the one with the most character.
- Origin: Swedish, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Small blue flower, lime, linden tree
- Pronunciation: LEE-NAH
- Variations: Linnea, Linn, Lina
- Popularity: Linna last charted in the U.S. in 2024 at #9,307, and it has appeared in the data on and off since 1880.
Linnea
Linnea is a nature name with a specific flower behind it: the small pink twinflower named for the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who built the system still used to classify plants and animals. That makes it one of the few names honoring a scientist by way of a wildflower. It stays soft in the mouth despite three syllables. Nea and Lin both work day to day, and Linnea itself never needs shortening.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Meaning: Lime or linden tree, flower
- Pronunciation: li-nee-ah
- Popularity: Linnea ranked #1,449 in the U.S. in 2025 with 149 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade.
Lior
Lior is Hebrew for my light, and the phrase reads exactly that way to Hebrew speakers, warm and direct. It is unisex in Israel and increasingly used for girls elsewhere. The Australian singer-songwriter Lior Attar performs under the single name. Its American numbers have more than doubled in ten years while staying small enough that your daughter will likely be the only one.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: My light
- Pronunciation: lee-OR
- Variations: Leeor, Leor, Lyor
- Namesakes: Lior Attar, an Australian singer-songwriter best known for his 2005 debut studio album Autumn Flow and for the song Hoot’s Lullaby.
- Popularity: Lior ranked #1,968 in the U.S. in 2025, its best year on record, with 78 babies given the name and births up about 134% on the previous decade.
Lipaz
Lipaz is Hebrew for my gold, built from li and paz in the same pattern as Lior. It has the glint of a jewel name without belonging to the Ruby and Pearl set. The z ending gives it a snap that most names on this list do not have. Parents looking for a Hebrew name nobody else is using will find it here.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: My gold
- Pronunciation: lee-PAZ
- Popularity: There is no U.S. ranking for Lipaz; the federal name data has never recorded it.
Lisa
Lisa is the diminutive of Elizabeth, and for a stretch of the 1960s it was the most popular girls’ name in America, with nearly a million bearers in the data overall. Lisa del Giocondo sat for Leonardo, which is why the world’s most famous painting carries the name. The actress Lisa Kudrow kept it in the sitcom era. It is now used about as often as genuinely rare names were in its heyday, which is a strange and rather appealing turn.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Pledged to God, God is abundance, God is my oath, God has sworn
- Pronunciation: LEE-sa
- Variations: Liza
- Namesakes: Lisa Valerie Kudrow, an American actress, producer, and screenwriter known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the TV sitcom Friends.
- Popularity: Lisa ranked #991 in the U.S. in 2025 with 256 babies given the name, down about 28% on the previous decade after topping the chart at #1 in 1962.
Lisbet
Lisbet is the Scandinavian short form of Elizabeth, trimmed of everything ornamental. It sounds crisper than Elizabeth and older than Liz, which is a useful place to be. Liz and Betty already live inside it, saving the trouble of choosing a nickname later. If your family has an Elizabeth to honor and you want the name without the weight, this is the shortest road.
- Origin: Hebrew, Germanic
- Meaning: God is my oath
- Pronunciation: liz-bet
- Variations: Lisbeth, Liesbeth
- Popularity: Lisbet last charted in the U.S. in 2019 at #14,853, below its 2002 peak of #1,448.
Lise
Lise is the Northern European short form of Elizabeth, also used as a nickname for Annalise. Lise Meitner, the Austrian-Swedish physicist, was a co-discoverer of nuclear fission, which gives this small name an outsized namesake. Four letters, one syllable, and a choice of pronunciations depending on which country you borrow from. It is spare in the way Scandinavian design is spare.
- Origin: Danish
- Meaning: Pledged to God
- Pronunciation: LEE-she, LEES, LEEZ
- Variations: Lize, Liese
- Namesakes: Lise Meitner, an Austrian-Swedish physicist famous for the co-discovery of nuclear fission.
- Popularity: Lise last charted in the U.S. in 2024 at #16,692, well below its 1959 peak of #819.
Lisha
Lisha is read as the darkness before midnight and connects to the wider Alicia and Felicia family. Other readings give it sweet, honest and God is salvation. It had a brief American moment around 1960 and has been scarce ever since. The sh sound in the middle is what sets it apart from every other Lisa variant on this page.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Darkness before midnight
- Pronunciation: LISH-a
- Variations: Lisa, Elisha
- Popularity: Lisha ranked #14,217 in the U.S. in 2025 with about six babies given the name, far below its 1960 peak of #598.
Liv
Liv comes from Norse myth, where Liv and Lif survived Ragnarok and repopulated the world, and from the Old Norse hlif, shelter. In Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, liv simply means life. It also works as the short form of Olivia, which is how many American families arrive at it. Three letters, one syllable, a meaning that could not be sturdier, and its use has nearly doubled in a decade.
- Origin: Old Norse
- Meaning: Life, shelter, protection
- Pronunciation: LIV
- Namesakes: Liv Dawson, an English pop singer-songwriter known for her songs Open Your Eyes, Bedroom Eps, and Pushing 21.
- Popularity: Liv ranked #896 in the U.S. in 2025 with 296 babies given the name, up about 94% on the previous decade.
Livia
Livia comes from the Latin livius, tied to the color blue and to envy, and it was borne by Rome’s first empress. In Hebrew the same spelling is read as lioness. Empress and lioness is a strong pair of associations for three short syllables. The Brazilian fighter Livia Renata Souza is a modern bearer. It reads as Olivia’s older, more composed sister rather than as a nickname.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Blue, envious
- Pronunciation: LEE-vya, LIV-ee-ah
- Variations: Olivia, Livius, Lividus
- Namesakes: Livia Renata Souza, a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion.
- Popularity: Livia ranked #820 in the U.S. in 2025 with 332 babies given the name, up about 17% on the previous decade.
Livienne
Livienne is a French-styled name read as full of life, and it is one of the newest entries in the American data on this list. A second reading gives it a woman of envious personality, which is the sort of ambiguity old names collect and new ones rarely have. It sits beside Vivienne without being Vivienne. Livi is the ready nickname, and it is having a moment of its own.
- Origin: Latin, French
- Meaning: Full of life, lively
- Pronunciation: li-VEE-en
- Variations: Vivienne
- Popularity: Livienne last charted in the U.S. in 2023 at #12,907, having first appeared in the data only in 2019.
Liz
Liz began as a clipped Elizabeth and now stands on its own, with roots running back through the Greek Elisabet to the Hebrew Elisheva. The British actress Liz Fraser made it a familiar screen name. It is short, strong and impossible to mispronounce. Given as a full name rather than a nickname, it reads as decisive.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: God is my oath
- Pronunciation: LIZ
- Variations: Lis, Liss, Lizz
- Namesakes: Elizabeth Joan Winch, known professionally as Liz Fraser, a British film actress best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles.
- Popularity: In 2025, 178 babies were named Liz in the U.S., placing it at #1,259 and up about 67% on the previous decade.
Lizanne
Lizanne blends Liz and Anne, so it carries God is my oath from the first half and grace from the second. Compound names like this had their American run in the 1950s and have been out of use for thirty years. That leaves it feeling handmade rather than dated. Two familiar names, one unfamiliar result.
- Origin: Hebrew, Germanic
- Meaning: God’s promise
- Pronunciation: liz-ann
- Variations: Lisanne, Lizaan, Lysanne
- Popularity: Lizanne last charted in the U.S. in 1995 at #12,684, below its 1958 peak of #1,753.
Loelia
Loelia is a variant of the Arabic Leila and is a fairly common Muslim girl name. It is also said to be the feminine of the African name Loel. The extra syllable turns the familiar Leila into something more ornate, closer to Amelia in rhythm. It is a gentle name that suits parents who like warm, unhurried sounds.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Night
- Pronunciation: L-OE-lia
- Variations: Laelia, Loel
- Popularity: Loelia has yet to appear in the U.S. federal name data, so no ranking applies.
Lola
Lola is the Spanish diminutive of Dolores, from one of the titles of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. The name has spent a century doing the opposite of sorrow, largely thanks to songs and film. The actress Lola Glaudini is one bearer. That kind of staying power is rare for a name pulled straight from pop songs, and it has stayed in the conversation by sounding permanently playful.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Lady of sorrows
- Pronunciation: LO-lah
- Variations: Lolicia
- Namesakes: Lola Glaudini, an American actress famous for her role in the TV series Criminal Minds.
- Popularity: Lola ranked #275 in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,132 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade after peaking at #130 back in 1913.
London
London traces to the Roman Londinium, itself a Latin handling of the Celtic Lowonidonjon, read as great river or trading town. It arrived as an American girls’ name in the 1960s and had its real surge in the early 2010s. Place names age in waves, and this one is on the downslope, which is why it now feels less of the moment and more of a choice. Lonnie and Donnie are the nicknames nobody expects.
- Origin: Latin, Celtic
- Meaning: Great river, settlement, trading town
- Pronunciation: LUN-don
- Variations: Londyn, Londen
- Namesakes: London Dionne Micha Stacey Stephanie Estina Knibbs-Hughes, a British comedian, TV writer, and presenter known for writing and starring in Laughter Shock.
- Popularity: London ranked #431 in the U.S. in 2025 with 719 babies given the name, down about 41% on the previous decade after peaking at #85 in 2013.
Loretta
Loretta is the English form of the Italian Lauretta, a diminutive of Laura, and it goes back through Latin to the laurel tree. Loretta Lynn, the coal miner’s daughter, made it plainspoken and tough in a way the Latin never suggested. It nearly tripled in use over the past decade, part of the wave lifting Nora, Lenora and every other vintage name with a strong middle consonant. Etta is the short form doing much of that work.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Bay laurel, laurel, laurel grove
- Pronunciation: luh-REHT-uh or lo-REHT-ta
- Variations: Loreta, Lauretta, Laureta
- Namesakes: Loretta Lynn, an American country music singer, and songwriter known for hits that include I’m a Honky Tonk Girl, Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’, and Coal Miner’s Daughter.
- Popularity: Loretta ranked #606 in the U.S. in 2025 with 485 babies given the name, up about 173% on the previous decade after peaking at #62 in 1938.
Lorraine
Lorraine names a French province and carries the memory of Joan of Arc, known as the Maid of Lorraine. The actress Lorraine Bracco has given it a modern, unsentimental sound. It reads as old-fashioned to anyone over fifty and as new to anyone under thirty, which is the exact condition names are in just before they return. This charming French name has already climbed by half in ten years.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: From the province of Lorraine
- Pronunciation: loh-RAIN, loh-REN
- Variations: Laraine
- Namesakes: Lorraine Bracco, an American actress known for her husky voice and nomination for several awards over her career.
- Popularity: Lorraine ranked #1,044 in the U.S. in 2025 with 238 babies given the name, up about 60% on the previous decade after peaking at #39 in 1928.
Lotte
Lotte is the Dutch and German short form of Charlotte, which traces back through the French feminine of Charles to the Germanic Karl, a free man. The physicist Lotte Hollands works in quantum field theory. In the United States it is barely used, while Charlotte sits near the very top of the chart, so this is the quietest possible route to a very popular name. Say it LAW-ta and it sounds European; say it LOT-ee and it sounds like a nickname.
- Origin: Dutch, German; Scandinavian
- Meaning: Free
- Pronunciation: LAW-ta
- Namesakes: Lotte Hollands, a Dutch mathematical physicist who studies quantum field theory, supersymmetric gauge theory, and string theory.
- Popularity: Lotte ranked #10,567 in the U.S. in 2025 with about nine babies given the name, up about 80% on the previous decade.
Lotus
Lotus comes to English through Greek, where the lotus fruit in the Odyssey made men forget their homesickness. Across cultures the flower stands for purity, grace and spiritual growth, which is a lot of freight for two syllables to carry lightly. The actress Lotus Long worked in 1930s Hollywood. Its use has nearly doubled in a decade while staying uncommon, and it works for a girl or a boy.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Purity, grace
- Pronunciation: LO-tas
- Variations: Lotis
- Namesakes: Lotus Long, an Asian-American film actress known for her role in the 1934 movie The Mysterious Mr. Wong.
- Popularity: The U.S. gave 110 babies the name Lotus in 2025, ranking it #1,826, nearly double the previous decade’s count.
Louisa
Louisa is the feminine of Louis, formed with the a ending Romans favored when they turned men’s names into women’s. Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, which is enough of a namesake for anyone. It has more than doubled in use over ten years, following Eleanor and Josephine back into fashion. Its climb over the past decade means it no longer needs Lou or Weezy to feel approachable.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Famous warrior
- Pronunciation: loo-EEZ-a
- Variations: Louise, Luise
- Namesakes: Louisa May Alcott, an American novelist famous for her novel Little Women.
- Popularity: Louisa reached #697 in the U.S. in 2025, with 407 babies given the name, more than doubling since the previous decade.
Louvenia
Louvenia is a variant of Lavinia, the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas and the legendary mother of the Roman people. The extra syllable at the front gives it a distinctly American southern sound, and it was steadily used through the first half of the twentieth century. It has been out of the data for three decades now. Venia and Lou are the nicknames hiding inside it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: From an ancient place name Lavinium
- Pronunciation: lou-vee-nia
- Variations: Lavinia
- Popularity: Louvenia last charted in the U.S. in 1993 at #11,277, well below its 1932 peak of #821.
Love
Love comes from the Old English lufu and has served for centuries as a term of endearment in English before it was ever a given name. It is most often used as a middle name, which is where most parents still put it. Its use has nearly tripled in ten years, so the first slot is getting less unusual. There is no hidden meaning to explain, which is either the whole appeal or the whole problem.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Love
- Pronunciation: LUV
- Popularity: Love reached #957 in the U.S. in 2025, given to 269 babies, a climb of about 173% since the previous decade.
Lovise
Lovise descends from the Old High German Chlodowich, glorious in battle, the same root that gives us Louise and Louisa. The Norse handling keeps the warrior meaning while softening every sound in it. It is the Scandinavian spelling almost nobody in America uses. If Louisa feels a shade too familiar, this is the same name with a different accent.
- Origin: Danish, Germanic
- Meaning: Famous warrior
- Pronunciation: law-vee-se
- Variations: Louisa, Louiza, Luisa, Luiza, Lovisa
- Popularity: The U.S. federal name data does not include Lovise, so it carries no ranking here.
Luca
Luca is the Italian form of Lucas, the man from Lucania, and shares the light meaning that runs through the whole Lucius family. The biblical Luke has carried it into Christian use nearly everywhere. In Hungary it is used mainly for girls, though said quite differently. In the United States it is overwhelmingly a boys’ name now and one of the twelve names on this list inside the top 100, so it belongs here as a sibling option rather than a daughter’s name.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Bringer of light, man from Lucania
- Pronunciation: Loo-ka
- Variations: Luc, Lucas, Lukas
- Popularity: Luca ranked #14 in the U.S. in 2025, its highest ever, with 8,759 babies given the name and births up about 320% on the previous decade.
Lucilla
Lucilla is a Roman diminutive in the Lucius family, so its meaning is light, shining. The Italian folk singer Lucilla Galeazzi is among its bearers. Three syllables and a double l give it a lilt that Lucy and Lucia do not have. It has been in the American data since 1898 without ever becoming common, which is a rare kind of staying power.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Light, shining
- Pronunciation: lou-SIL-la
- Variations: Lucia
- Namesakes: Lucilla Galeazzi, a renowned Italian folk and opera singer.
- Popularity: Lucilla ranked #9,231 in the U.S. in 2025 with about 11 babies given the name, up about 27% on the previous decade.
Lucy
Lucy is the English feminine of the Latin Lucius, meaning light, and it was once given especially to girls born at dawn. The English actress Lucy Punch is one of many bearers. It has been in the U.S. data every year since 1880 and is currently at the highest rank it has ever held, one of twelve names on this list inside the top 100. Old, plain, warm and now more popular than at any point in its long American life.
- Origin: Latin, English
- Meaning: Light
- Pronunciation: LOO-see
- Variations: Luci, Lucie, Lucia
- Namesakes: Lucy Punch, an English actress famous for her role in Ella Enchanted.
- Popularity: Lucy ranked #25 in the U.S. in 2025, its best year on record, with 6,176 babies given the name and births up about 49% on the previous decade.
Luna
Luna is the Roman moon goddess, usually pictured driving a white chariot across the night sky. The name is also of Hawaiian origin, where it carries a different sense entirely. Its American rise has been one of the steepest of the century, up more than fivefold in ten years to a peak of #10 in 2022. The actress Luna Blaise is a young bearer. If you want the moon without the crowd, Lila, Layla and Lilith all sit nearby on this list.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Goddess of the moon
- Pronunciation: LOO-na
- Variations: Louna, Luneth, Lunette
- Namesakes: Luna Blaise Boyd, an American actress best known for her role in the movie Manifest.
- Popularity: Luna ranked #27 in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,076 babies given the name, up roughly 460% on the previous decade after reaching #10 in 2022.
Lurra
Lurra is the Basque word for earth, and in Basque tradition she is a feminine presence without limit in any direction, holding the stars, the moon and the sun inside her borders and giving birth to the mountains. That is a large idea for five letters. The rolled double r gives it a strength that most soft L names on this list do not attempt. It is beautiful, unusual and almost entirely unused in the United States.
- Origin: Basque
- Meaning: Earth
- Pronunciation: LOO-ra
- Variations: Lur
- Popularity: Lurra remains outside the U.S. federal name data entirely, with no ranking on record.
Lydia
Lydia was an ancient kingdom in Asia Minor, so the name originally meant a woman from Lydia. The biblical Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, was among the first European converts to Christianity through the Apostle Paul. It has been in the U.S. data every year since 1880 and is one of twelve names on this list inside the current top 100. Familiar without being fashionable is a hard trick, and Lydia has managed it for well over a century.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Woman from the kingdom of Lydia
- Pronunciation: LIH-dee-ah
- Variations: Lidia, Lidiya
- Namesakes: Lydia Cornell, an American actress best known for her role in the TV sitcom Too Close for Comfort.
- Popularity: Lydia ranked #92 in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,692 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade near its 2015 best of #80.
Lyla
Lyla shares the Arabic night meaning of Layla and is also the feminine of Lyle, from the Norman French l’isle, an island. So depending on which thread you pull, Lyla is either born at night or an island girl. The Canadian actress Lyla Porter-Follows is a bearer. This is the highest the y spelling has ever ranked, and it now sits comfortably inside the top 100.
- Origin: Arabic, Persian, English
- Meaning: Night, born at night, dark, dusky, island girl
- Pronunciation: LIE-luh, LIE-lah
- Variations: Laela, Leyla, Leilah, Laila
- Namesakes: Lyla Porter-Follows, a Canadian-American actress and writer known for her role in the TV series Frontier.
- Popularity: Lyla ranked #80 in the U.S. in 2025, its highest ever, with 3,089 babies given the name and births up about 49% on the previous decade.
Lynae
Lynae is a Scandinavian name whose meaning is not settled. It may be a feminine form of Linnea or Linnaeus, which would give it the small blue twinflower, and it is also treated as a variant of the Irish, English and Gaelic name Lynn. Uncertain etymology is a fair trade for a name this rare. It is the rarest of the ranked names here, so your daughter would almost certainly be the only one.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Meaning: Small blue flower, twinflower
- Pronunciation: Lu-Y-AH, LAH-NAY
- Variations: Linnaea
- Popularity: Lynae ranked #16,340 in the U.S. in 2025 with about five babies given the name, the lowest-ranked name on this list, roughly one in 333,000 babies.
Lyndee
Lyndee belongs to the traditional Spanish girl’s name Linda’s extended family, and in German it is read as gentle, which sits close to the same idea. It fits alongside British names like Lynn, Lynda, Belinda and Melinda. The ee ending makes it read as a nickname that got promoted. It has been quietly steady for years rather than rising or falling.
- Origin: Spanish, German, English
- Meaning: Soft, tender, beautiful
- Pronunciation: lin-DEE
- Variations: Lynde, Lindi
- Popularity: Lyndee ranked #5,175 in the U.S. in 2025 with 25 babies given the name, holding steady over the last decade.
Lynx
Lynx comes from the Greek leuk, meaning light or brightness, after the wild cat whose eyes catch and hold the dark. It is also a constellation in the northern sky. The animal’s eyesight is proverbial, which makes the name a quiet wish for clear sight. It is under twenty years old in the American data and has almost quintupled in the last decade, so it is new, sharp and moving.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Light, brightness
- Pronunciation: links
- Popularity: Lynx ranked #2,823 in the U.S. in 2025 with 45 babies given the name, up about 390% on the previous decade after first charting in 2008.
Lyra
Lyra takes its name from the lyre, the small U-shaped harp of ancient Greece, and from the constellation named after it. Music and night sky in one word is a hard combination to beat. The Indonesian actress Lyra Virna is a bearer. It has nearly tripled in use over ten years and is currently at its highest rank ever, so it is on the way up rather than at rest.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Music, harmony, night sky
- Pronunciation: Lay-rah
- Variations: Layra, Lyrah, Lyre
- Popularity: Lyra ranked #435 in the U.S. in 2025, its best year yet, with 711 babies given the name and births up about 186% on the previous decade.
- Namesakes: Lyra Virna, an Indonesian actress known for her roles in numerous TV series, including Goddess of Winds and The Jabrik.
Lyrica
Lyrica comes from the Greek lyrikos, songlike, and sits one step further from the lyre than Lyra. The actress Lyrica Okano appeared in the Hulu series Runaways. Worth knowing before you commit: Lyrica is also the brand name of a nerve pain medication, which some parents mind and others never think about again. The meaning itself could hardly be prettier.
- Origin: Greek, English
- Meaning: Lyre, lyrical, songlike
- Pronunciation: LIR-ik-a
- Variations: Lirica, Liryca, Lyricah
- Namesakes: Lyrica Okano, an American actress known for her role in the Hulu original TV series Runaways.
- Popularity: Twenty-nine American babies received the name Lyrica in 2025, good for #4,716 and a jump of about 270% on the previous decade.
Lyssa
Lyssa descends from the Middle French Alis and the Old French Aalis and Aliz, the same line that produced Alice by way of the Germanic Adalhaid, noble. It also works as a clipped Alyssa, which is how most American families meet it. The double s gives it a hiss that softer L names avoid. If you want Alice’s noble meaning in a shape nobody expects, this is it.
- Origin: French, Germanic
- Meaning: Noble
- Pronunciation: lys-sa
- Variations: Alesha, Alisa, Alissa
- Popularity: Lyssa last charted in the U.S. in 2024 at #12,936, with births down about half on the previous decade.
