Names That Mean Love: 137 Baby Names for Girls and Boys

Names that mean love include Amanda (“lovable”), Amy (“beloved”), Carys (from Welsh for “love”), Priya (“beloved”), David (“beloved”) and Aroha (“love” in Māori), and this list gives a checked origin and meaning for 137 loving names.

Names that mean love are a sweet way to tell your child how wanted they are. Some are simply the word for love in another language, like Aroha in Māori, Sevgi in Turkish and Upendo in Swahili. Others mean beloved, lovable, dear or darling, and a few, like Valentine, are linked to love by their story rather than their meaning.

We grouped the names by girls, boys and gender-neutral picks, then by beloved and darling names, the word for love in other languages, Slavic and Japanese love names, and love deities. Every meaning was checked against the name’s own Behind the Name entry, and a final table lists names often called love names that actually mean something else.

Names That Mean Love at a Glance

Every gender label, origin and meaning on this page was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in November 2026. Where the reference calls a meaning possible, uncertain or unknown, we print it that way, and we say so plainly when a name is linked to love by its story rather than its meaning.

These ten are the love names most American parents will recognize. Some mean “love” outright, but more of them mean “beloved”, “lovable” or “dear”. That difference is worth knowing: a name that means “beloved” describes the child as the one who is loved, which many parents find even sweeter than the word love itself.

Three of these come from Latin. Amanda was recreated by 17th-century writers from Latin amanda, “lovable, worthy of love”. Mabel is a medieval form of the Roman name Amabilis, “lovable”, and Amy comes through Old French from a word meaning “beloved”. David and Kevin show how old the idea is: David comes from a Hebrew word meaning “beloved” (or “uncle”), and Kevin comes from an Irish name meaning “beloved birth”. If you like these, our biblical girl names list has many more classics.

Girl Names That Mean Love

Girl names that mean love come from Latin, Welsh, Sanskrit, Persian, Zapotec, Turkish and Mayan, among other languages. Many are gentle, two or three syllables long, and easy to say in English.

The Latin family is the biggest. Amata means “beloved” (it is the feminine form of Amatus), Amabel means “lovable”, and Amandine is a French diminutive of Amanda. Aimée is the French form of Amy, and Aimee is the English spelling influenced by it. Amora is newer: the reference calls it apparently a modern coinage based on Latin amor, “love”.

Charity and Carita share one root, Latin caritas, which meant “dearness, esteem, love”. Charity was one of the virtue names the Puritans began to use after the Reformation. Carys and its variant Cerys are both Welsh and come from caru, “love”; the reference notes Carys has been in common use only since the middle of the 20th century, so it feels both traditional and fresh.

The Sanskrit names Sneha (“love, tenderness”), Priti (“pleasure, joy, love”), Preethi (its South Indian form) and Prema (the feminine form of Prem) all come from Sanskrit words for love or joy. Nayeli is a lovely option with an honest caveat: the reference says it possibly comes from a Zapotec phrase meaning “I love you”, or from a word meaning “open”.

Sevda is worth reading in full. It means “love, infatuation” in Turkish and Azerbaijani, but its deeper root is an Arabic word for “black bile, melancholy, sadness”, the old idea that love can make you lovesick. Some parents find that poetic; others would rather pick Sevgi, which simply means “love” (see the table of love words below).

Boy Names That Mean Love

Boy names that mean love tend to mean “beloved” or “lovable” rather than the plain word love. Latin, Greek and Sanskrit give the most options, with a Yoruba and a southern African name that put love front and center.

Amadeus means “love of God”, from Latin amo, “to love”, and Deus, “God”. The reference notes that the composer Mozart adopted it as the Latin translation of his Greek middle name. Amandus (“lovable, worthy of love”) and Amatus (“beloved”) are both names of early saints, so they carry history as well as meaning.

The Greek names come in two flavors. Erasmus (“beloved, desired”) and Erastus (“beloved, lovely”) describe the person who is loved. Philo (“lover, friend”) and Philemon (“affectionate”, from the word for a kiss) come from the Greek love-and-friendship words. Dafydd is the Welsh form of David, so it shares its “beloved” root and feel a little less common in the U.S.

Olufemi means “God loves me” in Yoruba, and Lovemore, built from the English words love and more, is most common in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in southern Africa. Prem, Anurag and Pranay are Sanskrit-derived names used in Hindi and Marathi; note that Pranay’s meaning includes “leader, guidance” as well as love. For more ideas, see our baby boy names guide.

Gender-Neutral Names That Mean Love

These names carry both a feminine and a masculine label in their Behind the Name entries. Many come from Pacific and African languages, where the word for love is simply used as a name for any child.

Kealoha (“the loved one”) uses aloha, the Hawaiian word for love. Aroha (Māori), Alofa (Samoan) and Ofa (Tongan) are each simply the word for love in their language. From Africa come Ife (Yoruba), Thando and Luthando (Xhosa and Zulu), Lerato (Sotho), Rudo (Shona), Chikondi (Chewa) and Fumnanya (Igbo, “love me”).

Ren is a Japanese name with more than one meaning: depending on the kanji, it can mean “lotus” or “romantic love”. Ceri is the one name here whose love link is uncertain; the reference lists three possible sources and does not choose. Harpreet and Manpreet are Sikh names built on Sanskrit priti, “pleasure, joy, love”. For girls, our baby girl names guide has hundreds more ideas.

Names That Mean Beloved, Dear or Darling

If “love” feels too bold, a name that means beloved, dear or darling says the same thing more quietly. This group mixes girls’ and boys’ names, and the gender column follows each entry.

Several languages have their own “beloved” names. Ahuva is Hebrew, Diletta Italian, Caoimhe and Caomhán Irish, Mahbub and Habiba Arabic, Pritam Sanskrit (“most beloved, dearest”) and Canan Turkish (“sweetheart, beloved”). Jedidiah, “beloved of Yahweh”, is the name given to Solomon in the Old Testament, and Jedidah comes from the same Hebrew word for “beloved, friend”.

Cara has two possible roots: an Italian word meaning “beloved” or an Irish word meaning “friend”. Carina comes from Latin carus, “dear, beloved”, though the reference notes that the constellation of the same name means “keel”. Can is a Turkish name meaning “soul, life”, and by extension “darling, sweetheart”.

The “darling” names are a fun set. Cherie comes from French chérie, Darlene from the English word darling plus the suffix lene, Tegan from a Welsh word for “darling”, Mignon from French (“cute, darling”) and Mavourneen from the Irish phrase mo mhúirnín, “my darling”. Leofric is an Anglo-Saxon name built on leof, “dear, beloved”, a rare choice with deep English roots.

Names That Are the Word for Love in Another Language

One of the simplest ways to choose a love name is to pick the word for love itself in a language that matters to your family. Each of these names is listed by Behind the Name as the word for love (or built directly on it) in the language shown.

This table pairs nicely with the gender-neutral list above, which adds Aroha (Māori), Alofa (Samoan), Ofa (Tongan), Ife (Yoruba), Lerato (Sotho), Rudo (Shona) and Chikondi (Chewa). Between them, you can find the word for love as a name in about two dozen languages.

A few have extra layers. Minna means “love” in Old German, specifically the courtly love of medieval poetry, and it is also used as a short form of a longer German name. Ifunanya, Igbo for love, literally means “to see in one’s eye”. Liba comes from Yiddish libe, “love”. Agape is the Greek word for love and the name of at least two early saints, and Ahava is the Hebrew word. Turkish has two: Sevgi and Dilan.

If you are drawn to a word name from a language your family does not speak, take a moment to learn how speakers say it and how it is used. That small step helps you choose with respect and gives you a good story to tell your child.

Slavic Names Built on Ljub (Love) and Mil (Dear)

Slavic languages have two name elements that feed a whole family of love names: ľuby, “love”, and milŭ, “gracious, dear”. Mila, Milan and Milena are the best known in the U.S., but the family is much larger.

The ljub names are the direct love names. Lyuben is Bulgarian, Lubomír is Czech (“love” plus “peace, world”), Ljubomir is its South Slavic form, and Miroljub puts the same two elements in the opposite order. Ljubica has a double meaning, love plus a diminutive suffix, and it is also the word for a violet in Serbian and Croatian. Lyubov, in the table above, is the Russian and Ukrainian version.

The mil names mean “gracious, dear”. Mila and Milan began as short forms of longer names with that element. Ludmila means “favor of the people” and was the name of a 10th-century saint, the grandmother of Saint Václav. Bogumił means “favored by God”.

Short Names That Mean Love, Plus Japanese Ai Names

Japanese has a single kanji, 愛, read ai, mana or megumi, that means “love, affection”. It appears in many popular girls’ names. Because Japanese names are written in kanji, the same name can mean different things in different families, so each entry below notes other possible meanings.

If you want a short name that means love, you have many choices across this page. Two to four letters: Ai, Mai, Yua, Amy, Ren, Ife, Ofa, Can, Cara, Mila, Liba, Love, Mehr, Prem, Rudo, Mina and Anbu. Five letters: Aroha, Alofa, Carys, Cerys, Lempi, Kasih, Cinta, Sneha, Priya, Priti, David, Habib and Amora.

Short names are easy to spell and pair well with longer middle names.

Names That Mean Love by Origin

Here are the names from this page grouped by the language or tradition their entries list. Origin labels follow Behind the Name, and each name appears in full in one of the tables above.

Looking by origin is a good way to honor family heritage. If your family speaks one of these languages, ask a grandparent or relative which names they know and love; they may have a favorite that is not on any list.

Love Gods and Goddesses, and Names Often Mistaken for Love Names

Mythology gives several names tied to love. We describe each figure the way the reference does. Some of these names mean love; Aphrodite’s meaning is unknown, and Cupid means “desire”.

Kama is a god in a living Hindu tradition. If Hinduism is not part of your family, learn a little about Kama before choosing the name, and be ready to share that story with your child. Venus and Eros are more familiar in English, though some parents feel they lean romantic for a baby; Amor, in the gender-neutral table, is a softer Latin option.

Some names show up on love-name lists even though their entries give a different meaning. These are lovely names, but if a love meaning is the whole point, pick from the tables above.

Valentine is the classic example: the Roman root means “strong, vigorous, healthy”, and the reference explains that the love association came because Saint Valentine’s feast day fell on the same day as an old Roman festival. Philip means “friend of horses”, and Caleb most likely means “dog”. Libi (“my heart”), Corazon (“heart”) and Cherish (“to treasure”) are heart and affection names rather than love names, which may be close enough for you.

How to Choose a Name That Means Love

Once you have a shortlist of names that mean love, a few quick checks help you pick:

• Decide how literal you want it: some names are the word for love (Aroha, Sevgi, Kerensa); others mean beloved (Amy, Priya, David), lovable (Amanda, Mabel) or dear (Mila, Caoimhe). Choose the kind of meaning you are happy to explain.
• Read the whole entry: Sevda has a melancholy root, Ceri’s love link is uncertain, and Pranay also means “leader, guidance”. Make sure you are comfortable with everything in the meaning.
• Say it with your last name: love names range from one syllable (Ai, Can, Prem) to four or more (Ifunanya, Fumnanya, Philomena). Balance a long first name with a short middle name, or the reverse.
• Check spelling and accents: Esmé, Aimée, Evîn, Caomhán, Lubomír, Miloš and Bogumił carry accents or special letters. U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents or special characters, so decide early how you will write the name on forms.
• Look up popularity: none of the names on this page appears in the Social Security Administration’s 2025 top 10 for boys or girls, so even familiar picks like Amanda and David will not be the most common name in class. The SSA’s Popularity of a Name tool shows how any name has been used over time.

Pronunciation. Only trust a pronunciation the entry gives or that a speaker confirms. The reference gives Caoimhe as roughly “KEE-vuh”, Esmé as “EZ-may” or “EZ-mee”, Kealoha as “keh-ah-LO-hah” and Chikondi as “chee-KON-dee”. Many of the African and Pacific names have no pronunciation in their entries, so ask a speaker before you commit.

Middle name pairings. A few built only from names on this page: Amy Aroha, Carys Amabel, Mila Priya, David Amor, Kevin Philo, Esmé Love and Ife Amadeus. Say each pairing out loud with your last name to hear the rhythm.

Sibling sets. Names that share a meaning across languages make thoughtful pairs: Aroha and Alofa (love), Priya and Pritam (beloved), Mila and Milan (dear), or Amy and Amatus (beloved). For more meaning-based lists, see our names that mean beautiful, names that mean star, names that mean moon, names that mean fire and same-day angelic names guides; the angelic list shares no names with this one.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Names That Mean Beautiful
• Angelic Names
• Names That Mean Light
• Names That Mean Star
• Unique Girl Names
• Gender Neutral Names

The Bottom Line

Names that mean love come in every style: classics like Amanda, Amy, Mabel and David; Welsh Carys and Irish Caoimhe; the Sanskrit names Priya, Prem and Sneha; Slavic Mila, Milan and Lyubov; Japanese Ai and Aiko; and word names for any child, such as Aroha, Kealoha, Alofa and Ife. Read each meaning in full, notice whether a name means love, beloved, dear or darling, say your favorites out loud with your last name, and pick the one that still feels right a week later.

Looking for more? Browse our unique girl names and names that mean light guides.

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