Names that mean love
This list groups names by the literal gloss at the start of each meaning, not the cultural notes that follow. Closely related meanings are gathered under love. Tap any name for its story, or grow a tree and see which of them belong in your family.
Prisha Sanskrit ยท beloved, dear one
Hlub Hmong ยท love, beloved
Philo Greek ยท beloved, dear; famously borne by Philo Farnsworth, inventor who developed the first fully electronic television system
Cher French ยท dear, beloved
Cherie French ยท dear, beloved
Kealoha Hawaiian ยท the love, the beloved
Omana Malayalam ยท darling, dear one; genuinely Malayalam rather than Sanskrit, the everyday word Kerala uses for a cherished child, and a signature mid-century Kerala women's name; three light syllables English speakers say correctly on first read
Kaipo Hawaiian ยท sweetheart, the beloved one
Nazanin Persian ยท beloved, delicate
Milena Slavic ยท gracious, dear one; Slavic feminine of Milan
Aziz Arabic ยท powerful, beloved
Aimee French ยท beloved
Cheryl French ยท beloved
Priya Sanskrit ยท beloved
Amado Spanish ยท beloved
Kawika Hawaiian ยท beloved
David Hebrew ยท beloved
Amias Latin ยท beloved
Preeti Sanskrit ยท joy, love
Sneha Sanskrit ยท love, tenderness
Kevin Irish ยท handsome, beloved
Mandy Latin ยท lovable, worthy of love
Philomena Greek ยท beloved, friend of strength
Charity English ยท love, generosity
Mariam Arabic ยท form of Maryam and of the Greek Old Testament's Mariam; the root is debated, perhaps Egyptian mry, 'beloved'
Sherry French ยท from chรฉrie, 'dear one'; also used as a pet form of Sharon
Azizah Malay ยท beloved, precious (Arabic); a grandmother-era Malay favorite
Cinta Indonesian ยท love
Alofa Samoan ยท love
Filomena Italian ยท beloved, or friend of strength; a devotional old-world classic still cherished as a family heirloom name
Aiko Japanese ยท beloved child; carried by early Nisei-generation Nikkei families in Sao Paulo
Amory Germanic ยท love-power, love-ruler; a name genuinely rooted in the Old French/Germanic "love" element
Cara Italian ยท Italian for 'dear, beloved'
Mutya Filipino ยท beloved treasure, muse
Jedidiah Hebrew ยท beloved of the Lord; Solomon's given name
Dave Hebrew ยท diminutive of David, beloved
Ludmila Polish ยท beloved by the people
Amy French ยท from Amรฉe, "beloved"
Amadea Latin ยท love of God; feminine form of Amadeus, a literal love-name
Amadeus Latin ยท love of God
Davy Hebrew ยท diminutive of David, 'beloved'
Anbuselvi Tamil ยท beloved, prosperous one (anbu "love" + selvi "prosperous young woman")
Amanda Latin ยท worthy of love
Davida Hebrew ยท the feminine form of David, from Hebrew dwd, beloved
Ifeoluwa Yoruba ยท God's love
Myrna Irish ยท from Irish Muirne, 'beloved'
Lyubov Slavic ยท love, one of the old trio of virtue names (Faith, Hope, Love); shared across Ukrainian and Russian
Nala African ยท Swahili word meaning 'successful, beloved'
Aziza Arabic ยท powerful, beloved (feminine of Aziz)
Habibo Somali ยท Somali form of Habiba: beloved
Dewey Welsh ยท form of David, traditionally 'beloved'; popularized by Admiral George Dewey
Kara Italian ยท variant of Cara, 'dear, beloved'
Carissa Greek ยท variant of Charissa, "grace, beloved"
Tavita Samoan ยท Samoan form of David: beloved
Sherri French ยท variant of Cherie, 'dear, beloved'
Amie French ยท variant of Amy, 'beloved'
Maite Spanish ยท Basque for 'beloved', or a Spanish contraction of Maria and Teresa
Mana Japanese ยท love (ๆ) or a compound like ็ๅฅ; also an English-language loanword in its own right; "mana" (spiritual power) entered English from Polynesian languages and is used as a first name in Hawaii and beyond
Davian Hebrew ยท modern elaboration of David, traditionally 'beloved'
Anbu Tamil ยท love (Tamil)
Megumi Japanese ยท favor and benefit, or love and affection, depending on the kanji
Masha Russian ยท bitter, beloved (diminutive of Maria)
Venus Latin ยท traditionally goddess of love
Amor Spanish ยท Spanish/Latin word for 'love'
Amoura French ยท variant of Amora (perhaps based on French amour), itself apparently a modern coinage from Latin amor, "love"
Davi Portuguese ยท "beloved," the Brazilian Portuguese form of David, from the Hebrew Dawid; the shepherd-king's name in the spelling Brazil made its own, one of the country's most given boy names of the 2010s and 2020s
Sukhpreet Punjabi ยท peaceful love, love of peace (sukh + preet)
Kannan Malayalam ยท the Malayalam and Tamil name for Krishna, traditionally linked to kannu, eye, and read as the beloved one; a devotional pick that stays easy to say in English
Amare Italian ยท traditionally Italian 'to love'; embraced as a distinctive, rhythmic favorite in Black American families
Jaspreet Punjabi ยท virtuous love, in love with virtue (Sikh American unisex name)
Davey Hebrew ยท variant spelling of Davy, diminutive of David, 'beloved'
Mirna Uncertain ยท Either Slavic, from mir, peace, or a Latin American form of Irish Muirne, beloved; sources disagree on which the American name follows.
Davina Scottish ยท feminine form of David that originated in Scotland (Hebrew "beloved" or "uncle")
Dovid Yiddish ยท Ashkenazi pronunciation of David, traditionally 'beloved'
Prem Sanskrit ยท love (Sanskrit prema); one syllable that spans every Nepali generation
Airi Japanese ยท love, or love and pear blossom depending on the kanji chosen
Davie Scottish ยท Scottish diminutive of David, from Hebrew meaning 'beloved'
Lovie English ยท An American term-of-endearment name from 'love' (Old English lufu), popular in the rural South around 1900.
Manpreet Punjabi ยท love of the heart and mind (man + preet)
Amora Latin ยท modern name based on 'amor', the Latin/Romance word for love
Harpreet Punjabi ยท God's love (har + preet)
Gurpreet Punjabi ยท love of the Guru (gur + preet)
Dilpreet Punjabi ยท love of the heart (dil + preet)
Phulmaya Nepali ยท flower-love (Nepali phul, flower, with maya, love); a grandmother-generation name of Nepal's hill communities, especially Tamang, Gurung and Magar families
Navpreet Punjabi ยท new love (nav + preet)
Dasom Korean ยท love (๋ค์), an old poetic native Korean word revived as a modern given name in the same hangeul-name movement as Areum and Bora
Matina Newari ยท love in Nepal Bhasa, the Newar language of the Kathmandu Valley; famously borne by Matina Shakya, Kathmandu's Kumari, its living goddess, from 2008 to 2017
Love English ยท virtue name from the English word 'love'
Maryann Hebrew ยท combination of Mary and Ann, bitter/beloved and grace
Amarie Latin ยท elaboration of Amara/Amy, evoking 'love' (Latin amare)
Which of these fits YOUR family? โ