200 boy and girl baby names that mean love, with their origin and special meaning

We've created here a list of 200 of our favourite love-themed baby names – to make choosing the 'love name' you want that little bit easier. We've included the most popular names that mean love, as well as more unique and unusual names that mean love. You'll also find gender-neutral names that mean love, strong names that mean love, and names that mean love with an origin in Greek mythology, nature or in African and Japanese culture. And for each name, we've listed its origin and fuller meaning, so you can find out more about it and what it signifies.

Here's our list of the best baby names that mean love – for you to be smitten by...

Most popular girl names that mean love | Most popular boy names that mean love | Gender-neutral names that mean love | Great girl names that mean love | Great boy names that mean love | Unique and unusual girl names that mean love | Unique and unusual boy names that mean love | Greek names that mean love | Strong baby names that mean love | African names that mean love | Japanese names that mean love | Nature-inspired names that mean love

Most popular girl names that mean love

These love-themed baby girl names all appear on one or more of the lists of the top 100 girl names registered in England and Wales in 2021 and in Scotland and in Northern Ireland in 2022. (The lists always run a year or two behind the actual year: the England and Wales list for 2022 is due for release in spring 2024; the 2023 lists for Scotland and Northern Ireland will be released towards the end of 2024.)

As well as the classic 'love names' Amanda and Maria, the lists feature recently popular names, including Mabel (in England and Wales) and Croía (which made the top 100 in Northern Ireland for the first time since the reporting of baby names began in 1997).

1. Amanda

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: lovable, fit to be loved
• Also: Mandy, Mandie, Manda

2. Amy

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: beloved
• Also: Ami, Amee, Aimi, Aimée, Aimie

3. Croía

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: little heart

4. Esme

• Origin: French/Persian
• Meaning: to love, beloved
• Also: Esmeralda, Esmée

5. Mabel

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: loveable

6. Maria

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: beloved; also of the sea, bitter

7. Maya

• Origin: Nepali
• Meaning: unconditional love (Maya has other meanings in other languages, including 'water' in Hebrew and 'illusion' in Hindi)

Most popular boy names that mean love

Baby boy names with meanings associated with love figure less heavily in the lists of the top 100 boy names registered in England and Wales in 2021 and in Scotland and in Northern Ireland in 2022 than girl 'love names' do in the girl names lists.

This doesn't mean, of course, that there are fewer boy names that mean love; just that they are not as common – so far – as girl names with similar meanings. The boy names that do feature in the lists are strong, classic boy names that conjure up the steadfastness of love.

8. Caleb

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: lovingly devoted, faithful

9. Conor

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: one who loves dogs, one who loves wolves

10. David

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: beloved

Gender-neutral baby names that mean love

Although gender-neutral names are a strong modern trend, there are actually a good number of long-standing gender-neutral baby names that mean love from languages and cultures all over the globe. Here are some love-centred gender-neutral baby names that have really caught our eye:

11. Ahuvi

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: my love

12. Amor

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: love, dear, affection, love for God, one who loves God

13. Delshad

• Origin: Persian
• Meaning: happy heart
• Also: Dilshad

14. Dewi

• Origin: Welsh/Indonesian
• Meaning: beloved/goddess (associated more with a boy in Welsh and more with a girl in Indonesian)

15. Dogoda

• Origin: Polish
• Meaning: spirit of love

16. Fumnanya

• Origin: Igbo
• Meaning: love me

17. Gurpreet

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: love, guru

18. Harpreet

• Origin: Hindi
• Meaning: love of God

19. Ife

• Origin: Igbo
• Meaning: love

20. Kaipo

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: pure heart

21. Kärlek

• Origin: Swedish
• Meaning: love

22. Kealoha

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: loved one

23. Love

• Origin: Anglo-Saxon
• Meaning: love

24. Ljuba

• Origin: Slavic
• Meaning: love
• Also: Liuba

25. Paris

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: after the French city of love (originally the name of Helen of Troy's lover in Ancient Greece)

26. Soyayya

• Origin: Hausa
• Meaning: darling, sweetheart, love bird

27. Thando

• Origin: Xhosa
• Meaning: loving one, I give love, to extend love

28. Yaretzi

• Origin: Aztec-Nahuatl
• Meaning: you will always be loved

29. Yolotzin

• Origin: Native American
• Meaning: beloved heart

30. Xinyi

• Origin: Chinese
• Meaning: heart, mind and soul in joyful harmony

Great girl names that mean love

There are lots of wonderful, and justifiably classic, baby girl names that mean love – from the pretty (Annabelle, Angharad, Carina) to the poetic (Dashuria, Priyanka, Habiba) to the adorably short and sweet (Cinti, Libi, Mari.) All of them have love meanings with a slightly different emotional focus, ranging from being cherished or adored to evoking feelings of warmth or romance. Prepare to fall head over heels for our selection of top-notch girl names that mean love…

31 Ahava

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: to love with devotion

32. Annabelle

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: lovable, beautiful
• Also: Anabel, Anabell, Annabella, Anabella

33. Angharad

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: much-loved

34. Bharati

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: the cherished one

35. Cara

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: beloved, dear one

36. Cari

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: beloved, darling
• Also: Carrie

37. Carina

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: beloved, cherished friend

38. Ceri

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: to love; blessed poetry
• Also: Cerian, Cerys

39. Cheri

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: beloved, loved one, dear
• Also: Cherie, Cher, Cheryl

40. Cinta

• Origin: Malay
• Meaning: romantic love

41. Dashuria

• Origin: Albanian
• Meaning: my love
• Also: Dua

42. Davina

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: beloved, divinely loved

43. Dilnaz

• Origin: Kurdish
• Meaning: beloved, sweetheart

44. Habiba

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: lover, sweetheart

45. Liba

• Origin: Hebrew/Yiddish
• Meaning: beloved, dear one

46. Libi

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: my heart

47. Maite

• Origin: Basque
• Meaning: beloved, lovable

48. Makenna

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: fiery love, born of fire

49. Mari

• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love; white jasmine

50. Mariel

• Origin: Latin/French/Dutch/Spanish
• Meaning: beloved; also of the sea, bitter; variant of Mary and Maria

51. Milena

• Origin: Czech
• Meaning: love, warmth, grace

52. Miriam

• Origin: Hebrew/Ancient Egyptian
• Meaning: beloved, love

53. Myfanwy

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: my lovely little one

54. Priti

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: pleasure, joy, love
• Also: Preeti

55. Priya

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: beloved, dear one
• Also: Pria

56. Priyanka

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: sweet, lovable
• Also: Priyankar, Priyam, Priyal, Priyasha

57. Sadhbh

• Origin: Celtic (pronounced to rhyme with 'five')
• Meaning: sweet and lovely woman

58. Querida

• Origin: Spanish
• Meaning: well loved

59. Valentina

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: strong, healthy; female form of Valentine

60. Vida

• Origin: Spanish
• Meaning: dearly loved, life

Great boy names that mean love

There may not be a wealth of names that mean love in the UK's most popular boys' names lists but there are loads of brilliant boy names that mean love that have become classics over the years – from biblical boy names that express love of or from God (Amadeus, Dawood and Jedidiah) to boy names that epitomise romantic love (Valentine, Romeo). Take a look at our pick of the classic baby boy names that mean love – each with their own subtly different meaning.
61. Amadeus

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: loved by God, love of God

62. Amantius

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: affectionate, loving, friendly, one who loves God

63. Armas

• Origin: Finnish
• Meaning: beloved

64. Bimalpreet

• Origin: Indian
• Meaning: pure and clean love

65. Caomh

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: kind, gentle love

66. Caradoc

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: beloved, amiable

67. Cedric

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: kind and loved

68. Dafydd

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: beloved; Welsh variant of David

69. Dawood

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: beloved friend

70. Didier

• Origin: French
• Meaning: desired, beloved

71. Elsker

• Origin: Danish/Norwegian
• Meaning: love, lover

72. Ephraim

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: fruitful, productive love

73. Evîn

• Origin: Kurdish
• Meaning: love

74. Gerwyn

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: fair love, impartial love

75. Hashu

• Origin: Hindi
• Meaning: love, caring

76. Jedidiah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: beloved of God, a friend of God

77. Lal

• Origin: Indo-Iranian
• Meaning: precious, beloved

78. Lennon

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: lover, sweetheart

79. Mungo

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: beloved; name of the patron saint of Glasgow

80. Radomil

• Origin: Czech
• Meaning: love of peace

81. Romeo

• Origin: Italian
• Meaning: citizen of Rome; name of Shakespeare's romantic hero

82. Sajan

• Origin: Hindi
• Meaning: beloved, cherished

83. Sevilen

• Origin: Turkish
• Meaning: beloved, adored

84. Valentine

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: strong and healthy; name of the patron saint of courtly love
• Also: Valentin, Valentino

85. Yakir

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: precious, dear, tender love

Unique and unusual girl names that mean love

Loving the love names but not in love with the idea of your baby girl sharing her name with another baby girl at the same nursery? You need a baby girl name that means love but is stand-out unusual. We've got some gorgeously rare and different love-themed baby-name suggestions, running right through the alphabet from Adorabella and Ambel to Qetesh and Xochiquetzal. Bet you won't see that one on another nursery coat peg!

86. Adorabella

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: adored beauty or gift

87. Amabel

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: lovable, aimable

88. Amadea

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: loved by God, one who loves God; female form of Amadeus

89. Amandine

• Origin: French
• Meaning: much loved, worthy of love

90. Charity

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: giving, kind love

91. Charulata

• Origin: Indian
• Meaning: lovely

92. Cherish

• Origin: English
• Meaning: treasured, one who treasures

93. Creiddylad

• Origin: Medieval Welsh
• Meaning: heart’s desire; name of beautiful girl who was loved by two of King Arthur's warrior knights

94. Desiderata

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: desired child

95. Idony

• Origin: Norse
• Meaning: love again, renewal; name of the Norse goddess of spring and eternal youth

96. Ismay

• Origin: French
• Meaning: to love, to esteem

97. Janan

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: big heart, soul

98. Kalila

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: beloved, sweetheart

99. Kanta

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: lovely

100. Kerensa

• Origin: Cornish
• Meaning: romantic love
• Also: Kerenza

101. Loveday

• Origin: Cornish
• Meaning: love, affection

102. Morna

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: affection, endearment
• Also: Muirna, Myrna

103. Nayeli

• Origin: Native American/Zapotec
• Meaning: I love you

104. Qetesh

• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Meaning: name of the ancient Egyptian goddess of love and fertility

105. Xochiquetzal

• Origin: Aztec/Nahuatl
• Meaning: name of the Aztec goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and flowers

Unique and unusual boy names that mean love

If you're hunting for a boy name that means love and that stands out from the baby-name crowd for its uniqueness and individuality, we've got a brilliant list of suggestions for you. We've picked, for this next selection of baby names that mean love, boy names, drawn from literature, mythology and ancient languages, that are intriguing, unusual and totally special.

106. Ajei

• Origin: Navajo
• Meaning: heart

107. Amias

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: loved
• Also: Amyas

108. Byron

• Origin: English
• Meaning: after Lord Byron, the romantic poet

109. Carwyn

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: blessed love

110. Chandrakant

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: loved by the moon

111. Cupid

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: passionate desire; after the Roman god of love, son of Venus

112. Drury

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: beloved, cherished

113. Fidel

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: faithful love

114. Hashu

• Origin: Hindi
• Meaning: love, caring

115. Heathcliff

• Origin: English
• Meaning: after the romantic hero of Wuthering Heights
• Also: Heathcliffe

116. Leofstan

• Origin: Anglo-Saxon
• Meaning: beloved stone, strong love

117. Lovemore

• Origin: African (southern)
• Meaning: someone who loves more

Greek names that mean love

The gods and goddesses of ancient Greece were powerful, passionate and fond of falling in love, as were the mortal Greek heroes and rulers who built temples in their honour. So, if you're looking for a baby boy or baby girl name that means love and also has an air of authority, energy and majesty, you'd do well to turn to Ancient Greece for inspiration. All the Greek baby boy names and baby girl names in our selection have a timeless, heroic quality to them has stood the test of centuries:

118. Adelpha

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: beloved sister

119. Adonis

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: desirable; name of the (human) lover of Aphrodite, goddess of love

120. Agapi

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: love, affection, esteem

121. Agapitos

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: lovable

122. Anteros

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: requited love, mutual love

123. Aphrodite

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: name of the goddess of love

124. Erasmus

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: beloved, desired
• Also: Erastus, Ras, Rastus, Elmo

125. Eros

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: love, desire; name of the Greek god of love, son of Aphrodite

126. Eustorgio

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: well loved

127. Imogen

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: loved child

128. Panphila

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: all loving

129. Philberta

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek and Middle English
• Meaning: glowing with love

130. Philip

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: lover of horses
• Also: Phillip, Phil, Pip

131. Philippa

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: lover of horses
• Also: Philipa, Phillipa, Pippa

132. Philomena

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: lover of strength, courageous love

133. Theophila

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: beloved of God
• Also: Thea

134. Theophilus - boy

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: beloved of God
• Also: Theo

135. Tindara

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: willing to love

Baby names that mean love and strength

These baby girl and baby boy 'love names' also exude strength and power. Perhaps you want a baby girl name that will mark her as a loving, strong, resolute woman as she grows up? Or a baby boy name that signals a powerfully loving presence? Brace yourself for our selection of max-strength boy and girl names that mean love…

136. Ástríðr

• Girl name
• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: beloved, god, beautiful

137. Aziz

• Boy name
• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: beloved, cherished, powerful

138. Aziza

• Girl name
• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: strong, powerful, precious, dear

139. Bastet

• Girl name
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Meaning: name of the Egyptian goddess of love, cats, protection and dance

140. Caractacus

• Boy name
• Origin: Old Celtic
• Meaning: loved, dear friend; name of 1st-century British chieftain

141. Dai

• Boy name
• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: beloved, loved by God

142. Freya

• Girl name
• Origin: Germanic
• Meaning: name of Old Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility and war
• Also: Freja, Freyja, Freia

143. Hathor

• Girl name
• Origin: Ancient Egyptian
• Meaning: name of Egyptian goddess of love

144. Heremoana

• Boy name
• Origin: Tahitian
• Meaning: beloved ocean, ocean of love

145. Inanna

• Girl name
• Origin: Sumerian
• Meaning: name of the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war and fertility

146. Ingrid

• Girl name
• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: loved by Ing (god of beauty and fertility)

147. Kamakshi

• Girl name
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: one with loving eyes; name of Hindu fertility goddess

148. Lada

• Girl name
• Origin: Slavic
• Meaning: glorious rule; name of goddess of love, beauty and fertility in Slavic mythology

149. Leofric

• Boy name
• Origin: Anglo-Saxon
• Meaning: dear ruler, beloved kingdom

150. Leofsige

• Boy name
• Origin: Anglo-Saxon
• Meaning: beloved victory

151. Lovella

• Girl name
• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: love, affection; wolf

152. Lubomír

• Boy name
• Origin: Slavic
• Meaning: peace and love, immense love
• Also: Lyubomyr

153. Lubomira

• Girl name
• Origin: Slavic
• Meaning: peace and love, immense love

154. Parvati

• Girl name
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: of the mountains; name of Hindu goddess of love and power

155. Pranay

• Boy name
• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: love, affection, leader

156. Prende

• Girl name
• Origin: Albanian
• Meaning: name of the protector of women and the goddess of love, health and fertility
• Also: Premte

157. Shrivatsa

• Boy name
• Origin: Indian
• Meaning: beloved of Shri (Lord Vishnu)
• Also: Srivatsa

158. Sigrid

• Girl name
• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: beloved victory

159. Torunn

• Giel name
• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: Thor's love, wave of love

160. Venus

• Girl name
• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: name of the Roman goddess of love

161. Yuushin

• Boy name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: lovingly brave and tender

African names that mean love

There are hundreds of African-origin baby names that mean love, each influenced by one or more of the continent's many tribal, Christian, Muslim and Arabic traditions. The boy and girl names we've chosen here are drawn from across Africa's different nations and languages, and reflect the word love in all its many nuances and subtleties.

162. Abasiama

• Boy or girl name
• Origin: Efik/Ibibio
• Meaning: God love, God loves mankind

163. Bisa

• Girl name
• Origin: African
• Meaning: daughter who is greatly loved

164. Chikondi

• Girl name
• Origin: Chewa
• Meaning: love

165. Femi

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: Yoruba
• Meaning: love me

166. Ife

• Girl name
• Origin: Yoruba
• Meaning: love

167. Ifunanya

• Girl name
• Origin: Igbo
• Meaning: love, to see eye to eye

168. Jacaylka

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: Somali
• Meaning: love, sweetheart

169. Kendi

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: African
• Meaning: the loved one

170. Lerato

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: African Tswana
• Meaning: love, song of my soul

171. Lolonyo

• Boy name
• Origin: African
• Meaning: love is beautiful

172. Mudiwa

• Girl name
• Origin: Shona
• Meaning: loved, darling

173. Obi

• Boy name
• Origin: Igbo
• Meaning: heart

174. Oshun

• Girl name
• Origin: Yoruba
• Meaning: name of the Yoruba goddess of beauty and love

175. Rudo

• Boy name
• Origin: Shona
• Meaning: a feeling of love

Japanese names that mean love

Japanese love-themed baby names not only have beautiful meanings but also an enchanting musical rhythm, so it’s easy to see why they are becoming more popular in the UK. In the West, we write and say Japanese names in a Romanised version of kanji, the characters in Japanese script – and, in actual fact, the same Japanese name can often be written in multiple variations of kanji, giving it a different meaning each time. In our selection of Japanese boy names that mean love and Japanese girl names that mean love, we've given them their most common meanings:

176. Ai

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love, affection

177. Aichi

• Boy name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love, wisdom, sky, peaceful, quiet, calm

178. Aika

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love song

179. Aiko

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: little loved one

180. Aito

• Boy name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love

181. Kagami

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: mirror; signifying the reflection of the parent’s love

182. Ren

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love, lotus

183. Suki

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: beloved, loved one

184. Yua

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: blinding love and affection

Nature-inspired names that mean love

Names with a nature theme are very much on trend – and when their meaning also references love, you've got a girl or boy name that combines the tangible beauty of the outdoors with the intangible emotion we cherish the most. Inhale deeply and stroll dreamily through this list of nature-inspired baby names for boys and for girls that mean love…

185. Airi

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love, affection with white jasmine or pear

186. Airin

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love, affection with woods or forest

187. Amala

• Girl name
• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: beloved, bird

188. Astrophel

• Boy name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: star lover

189. Carissa

• Girl name
• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: after the flower; beloved, grace

190. Connor

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: one who loves dogs, one who loves wolves

191. Cordelia

• Girl name
• Origin: Latin/Celtic
• Meaning: heart, daughter of the sea

192. Kalei

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: beloved, flower wreath

193. Kamaka

• Girl name
• Origin: Maori
• Meaning: beloved child, rock

194. Lalasa

• Girl or boy name
• Origin: Indo-Persian
• Meaning: one who is peaceful and promotes love, dove

195. Lev

• Boy name
• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: lion, heart of a lion

196. Manami

• Girl name
• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: love, affection, ocean

197. Mirren

• Girl name
• Origin: Scottish
• Meaning: beloved, of the sea

198. Mary

• Girl name
• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: drop of the sea, beloved

199. Solfried

• Boy name
• Origin: Norwegian
• Meaning: beloved sun

200. Tivona

• Girl name
• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: lover of nature

Pics: Getty Images

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