Choosing a name that means love is one of the most personal decisions a parent can make, and it works just as well for a nickname you pick for yourself or a character you are building online.
This guide gathers more than seventy real names connected to love, affection, devotion and being cherished, drawn from Greek, Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Irish, Welsh and Latin roots.
Every name below has been checked against its documented origin rather than a vague online claim. You will find options for girls, boys and unisex use, along with pronunciation help, cultural context and a few names that are quietly trending right now.
What Do Names That Mean Love Really Mean?
Featured answer: Names that mean love usually fall into two groups. Some names come directly from a word for love, such as Ahava in Hebrew or Agape in Greek. Others mean beloved, which describes the person who receives love rather than love itself.
A romantic love name and a family love name are not always the same thing. Agape in Greek describes a selfless, unconditional love, while Eros describes romantic attraction. Philia, the root behind names like Philippa, points to friendship and deep affection rather than romance.
This distinction shows up across almost every language once you look closely. Sanskrit alone has separate words for romantic desire, which gives us Kama, and for devoted, spiritual love, which gives us Prema.
Treating every love adjacent name as identical flattens a lot of real cultural nuance that is worth keeping.
Some names only symbolize love rather than translate to it directly.
A flower name or a name tied to a love story from mythology can carry a romantic feeling without the word love appearing in its etymology at all.
Both approaches are valid when you are naming a baby, a pet or a social media handle.
It also helps to separate a name’s literal meaning from how it gets marketed. Plenty of baby name lists online attach a love meaning to a name simply because it sounds romantic, without the etymology actually supporting that claim.
This guide flags that difference wherever it matters.
Best Names That Mean Love at a Glance
This table pulls together some of the strongest, most verifiable picks across genders and origins before the full breakdown below.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Gender |
| Amanda | Worthy of love | Latin | Girl |
| David | Beloved | Hebrew | Boy |
| Priya | Beloved | Sanskrit | Girl or Boy |
| Agape | Selfless, divine love | Greek | Girl |
| Habib | Beloved, dear one | Arabic | Boy |
| Ai | Love | Japanese | Girl |
| Cara | Dear one, friend | Irish or Italian | Girl |
| Erasmus | Beloved, desired | Greek | Boy |
| Ahava | Love | Hebrew | Girl |
| Amias | Beloved | Latin | Boy or Unisex |
Girl Names That Mean Love
Girl names built around love span everything from soft, classic English choices to sharp Sanskrit and Arabic picks. The lists below split them by style so you can scan for what actually fits your taste, and each entry includes the origin so you can double check it yourself.
Beautiful Girl Names That Mean Love
These are the picks most parents land on first, mainly because they sound gentle without feeling dated. Several have stayed inside the popular naming charts for decades without losing their original meaning along the way.
● Amanda, Latin, meaning worthy of love, a classic that has never really left popular use.
● Amy, Old French and Latin, meaning beloved, short, soft and easy to spell everywhere.
● Priya, Sanskrit, meaning beloved, one of the most used love names across South Asia and increasingly used worldwide.
● Esme, Old French, meaning esteemed or loved, carried by British royalty and literature alike.
● Mabel, Latin, from amabilis meaning lovable, a vintage pick that is trending again after decades out of fashion.
● Maryam, Hebrew, meaning beloved, a name shared across Christian, Muslim and Jewish tradition.
● Davina, Scottish, the feminine form of David, carrying the same documented beloved meaning.
● Amabel, Latin, an older full form of Mabel, meaning lovable, occasionally revived for a more formal option.
Unique Girl Names That Mean Love
This group works well if you want the meaning to genuinely surprise people rather than being instantly recognizable. Most of these come from a single language rather than showing up across several naming traditions at once.
● Cariad, Welsh, the actual Welsh word for love, rarely used outside Wales.
● Thando, Zulu, meaning love, the most popular love name in South Africa.
● Milena, Slavic, meaning the favored one, softer than Mila but from the same root.
● Querida, Spanish, meaning dear or beloved, used more as a term of endearment than a formal name.
● Lima, Hawaiian, meaning affection or love, unrelated to the city of the same spelling.
● Amoret, Latin, meaning little love, borrowed from Renaissance literature.
● Amavi, Italian, meaning I loved, a rare grammatical name form that recently entered US popularity data.
● Kalila, Arabic, meaning beloved, softer sounding than its more common counterpart Habiba.
Rare Girl Names That Mean Love
Rare is a different category from unique. A unique name can still be widely known just uncommonly chosen, while a rare name is genuinely hard to find in any modern naming database at all.
● Adelpha, Greek, combining sister and love to mean beloved sister, almost never used today.
● Ismay, medieval English, meaning esteemed and beloved, in use in England during the twelfth century.
● Karita, Latin, meaning loving and benevolent, close in root to the English word charity.
● Kerensa, Cornish, meaning love, tied specifically to Cornish naming tradition.
● Myfanwy, Welsh, meaning my beloved one, pronounced muh VAN wee.
● Grainne, Irish, a name from Irish mythology strongly associated with love and devotion through the legend of Grainne and Diarmuid.
● Mirna, Gaelic, meaning beloved, quietly used in Irish and Lebanese communities alike.
● Idony, Old Norse, associated with the word lovely one, tied to Norse mythology.
Short Girl Names That Mean Love
Short love names travel well across languages, which is part of why several of these show up on international popularity charts every year.
● Ai, Japanese, meaning love, one syllable and instantly recognizable.
● Cara, Irish and Italian, meaning dear one or friend.
● Mila, Slavic, meaning dear one, currently one of the most popular names in the United States.
● Mina, German, from the medieval word minna meaning love or tender affection.
● Amy, already listed above for its simplicity and beloved meaning.
● Lida, Russian, meaning beloved by all, condensed into just two syllables.
Boy Names That Mean Love
Boy names connected to love are less common in Western naming lists, which makes them stand out. Several also carry an undertone of strength, loyalty or devotion rather than pure romance, which fits parents who want warmth without anything that reads as soft.
Strong Boy Names That Mean Love
These names carry weight on their own, either through history or through the sound of the name itself, while still keeping a documented love or beloved meaning.
● David, Hebrew, meaning beloved, one of the most enduring names in recorded history.
● Aziz, Arabic, meaning powerful, dear one and beloved depending on context, also used as a title of respect.
● Erasmus, Greek, meaning beloved or desired, borne by the Renaissance scholar and the patron saint of sailors.
● Leofric, Old English, meaning beloved ruler, combining affection with authority.
● Valentine, Latin, from valens meaning strong and healthy, later linked to romance through Saint Valentine.
● Jedidiah, Hebrew, meaning beloved of the Lord, carried directly in scripture by King Solomon.
Unique Boy Names That Mean Love
A handful of these blend love with a second meaning inside the same word, which is rare enough that it is worth pointing out directly rather than leaving it buried in a table.
● Cargus, Ancient Celtic, formed from car meaning love and gus meaning strength or vigor.
● Prem, Sanskrit, meaning lovable or affectionate, also used in Thai naming with a different meaning of content or happy.
● Obi, Igbo, meaning heart, often used inside longer Nigerian names about love and peace.
● Dewey, an anglicized form of the Welsh Dafydd, carrying the same beloved meaning as David.
● Amias, Latin, meaning beloved, currently sits inside the United States top one thousand boy names.
● Janan, Arabic, meaning heart and soul, used as a love adjacent name across the Middle East.
Rare Boy Names That Mean Love
Very few of these appear on any current top one thousand list, which makes them a genuine find if you want a name almost nobody else at school will share.
● Leofwine, Old English, meaning beloved friend, almost entirely out of modern use.
● Caratacus, Brittonic Celtic, meaning loved, historically the name of a first century British chieftain.
● Milos, Slavic, meaning lover of glory, blending affection with ambition.
● Kamaka, Hawaiian, meaning beloved child, used traditionally within longer compound names.
Short Boy Names That Mean Love
Short names are easier to pair with a longer, more formal middle name, which is why several parents choose one of these as the everyday first name.
● Lev, Hebrew, meaning heart, closely tied to love even though it does not translate to the word directly.
● Prem, already listed above for its brevity and Sanskrit root.
● Habib, Arabic, meaning beloved or dear one, the root of the common Arabic term of endearment habibi.
● Obi, already listed above, meaning heart in Igbo.
Unisex Names That Mean Love
True unisex love names are harder to find because most etymological love names settled into either a masculine or feminine form centuries ago. These four are genuinely used across genders today.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Notes |
| Amare | To love | Italian verb used as a name | Used for both boys and girls in recent US data |
| Ren | Love or yearning affection | Japanese | Meaning depends on the kanji used, ren can also mean lotus |
| Prem or Prema | Love, devotion | Sanskrit | Prem leans masculine, Prema leans feminine, both are used flexibly |
| Love | Love | English word name | A direct, literal choice used occasionally for any gender |
Outside of this short list, most love names still lean toward one gender because of how they developed historically rather than because of anything inherent in the meaning itself. Parents who want a love meaning with a genuinely unisex feel usually end up choosing from this table or accepting a name that leans slightly toward one gender while still working for either.
Names That Mean Love and Strength
This combination is one of the most searched name themes, and it works because a handful of names genuinely carry both meanings inside their etymology rather than through marketing.
Most names on this list earn their place in one of two ways. A few, like Cargus, were literally built from separate love and strength root words in the original language. Others, like Valentine, started out meaning only strength and picked up a love association centuries later through culture rather than etymology, which is worth knowing before you use it.
Girl Names That Mean Love and Strength
● Davina, Scottish feminine form of David, meaning beloved, often paired with a strong surname for balance.
● Valentina, Latin, from valens meaning strong and healthy, feminized and later tied to romantic love.
● Milena, already listed above, chosen often for its firm sound alongside its favored meaning.
Boy Names That Mean Love and Strength
● Cargus, Celtic, the clearest direct match, literally built from the words for love and strength.
● Aziz, Arabic, meaning powerful and beloved in the same root.
● Valentine, Latin, strong and healthy at the root, love through cultural association.
● Caratacus, Celtic, meaning loved, carried by a chieftain remembered for resisting Roman conquest.
Greek Names That Mean Love
Featured answer: Greek naming tradition splits love into several distinct words, and each produced its own names. Agape describes selfless love, Eros describes romantic desire and Philia describes deep affection or friendship.
This split matters more than it looks on the surface. English uses one word, love, to cover romance, friendship, family devotion and even a love of food, while ancient Greek kept these ideas separate. That is part of why Greek names built around love feel more specific once you know the underlying word.
Greek Girl Names Associated With Love
● Agape, meaning love in its purest, most selfless form.
● Philippa, from philein meaning to love and hippos meaning horse, literally lover of horses.
● Adelpha, meaning beloved sister, combining sisterhood with agape.
Greek Boy Names Associated With Love
● Erasmus, meaning beloved or desired.
● Philander, meaning lover of man, historically used to describe a warm, affectionate nature.
● Eros, meaning love itself, the Greek god of love and attraction, rarely used as a first name today.
Japanese Names That Mean Love
Japanese names need extra care because meaning depends on the kanji characters chosen, not only on how a name sounds. The same pronunciation can carry completely different meanings depending on the characters a family selects.
The character ai written as 愛 means love and appears across dozens of names. The character ren written as 恋 points to romantic, yearning love, while a different ren written with other characters can mean lotus instead.
This is why a name like Airi can genuinely mean love and jasmine in one family and love and pear in another, purely based on which kanji the parents picked. Reputable Japanese naming references always list the kanji alongside the meaning for exactly this reason, and this guide follows the same practice.
Japanese Girl Names Related to Love
● Ai, meaning love when written with the character 愛.
● Aiko, meaning beloved child or love child.
● Airi, meaning love and jasmine, one of the more popular love names in recent Japanese ranking data.
● Manami, meaning love and beauty or love and sea depending on the kanji chosen.
● Yui, meaning tie, bond or gentle love, associated with harmonious relationships.
● Aimi, meaning beautiful love, a softer sounding alternative to Aiko.
Japanese Boy Names Related to Love
● Aito, meaning love and person, occasionally chosen for boys.
● Ren, meaning romantic or yearning love when written with 恋, though other kanji change the meaning to lotus.
Boy names carrying the love character are noticeably less common in Japanese naming tradition than girl names, since the character has historically been associated more with feminine given names, though this has been shifting in recent years.
Names That Mean Love Across Different Languages
Love has its own word in nearly every language, and several of those words became names on their own. This table lines up a few of the clearest examples by language.
| Language | Name or Word | Meaning |
| Greek | Agape | Selfless, divine love |
| Japanese | Ai | Love, written 愛 |
| Hebrew | Ahava | Love |
| Arabic | Hubb, or the name Habib | Love, or beloved |
| Sanskrit | Prema | Divine or selfless love |
| Welsh | Cariad | Love, sweetheart |
| Italian | Amare | To love, the verb itself used as a name |
| Urdu or Persian | Ishq | Passionate, intense love |
Names That Mean Beloved
Featured answer: A name that means beloved describes someone who is deeply loved rather than a name built from the word love itself. David, Habiba and Amy are three of the clearest examples across three unrelated languages.
Beloved names tend to age well precisely because they describe a relationship rather than a feeling that can fade. A love meaning can sound intense on a birth certificate decades later, while a beloved meaning reads the same at every stage of life.
● David, Hebrew, the most widely used beloved name in recorded history.
● Habiba, Arabic, meaning loved one, common across North Africa and the Middle East.
● Amy, Old French and Latin, meaning beloved.
● Ahuva, Hebrew, meaning beloved, the feminine counterpart to Ahava.
● Jedidiah, Hebrew, meaning beloved of the Lord.
● Kalila, Arabic, meaning beloved.
Names That Mean Unconditional Love
Unconditional love names usually trace back to Agape in Greek or Prema in Sanskrit, the two words most closely associated with selfless, permanent devotion rather than romantic feeling.
● Agape, Greek, the clearest direct match for unconditional love.
● Prema, Sanskrit, meaning divine or selfless love, distinct from Kama, which leans romantic.
● Karita, Latin, meaning loving and benevolent, tied to the same root as charity.
● Leofric, Old English, meaning beloved ruler, framing love as constant and protective rather than fleeting.
These names tend to suit parents who want the meaning to describe a quality rather than a moment, since unconditional love is framed as something permanent rather than romantic or temporary.
Names That Symbolize Love
Some names never translate literally to love but still carry the feeling through mythology, poetry or cultural association. Valentine is the clearest case, since its root actually means strong and healthy, and the romantic meaning came later through Saint Valentine.
Grainne works the same way. Its documented Irish root is debated, but the name is inseparable from an Irish love story, which is why it earns a place on love themed lists even without a literal translation.
A flower name like Rosalind, historically read as pretty rose, or a name tied to Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love, can work the same way for parents who want a romantic feeling without a literal love meaning.
● Rosalind, Old German, meaning gentle horse or pretty rose depending on the source, associated with romance through Shakespeare rather than its etymology.
● Aphrodite, Greek, the name of the goddess of love herself, more often used as a stylistic inspiration than a first name.
● Juliet, Italian by way of Latin, meaning youthful, tied to romantic love almost entirely through literature rather than its root meaning.
Choosing a symbolic name over a literal one is not a lesser choice. It simply means the love connection lives in a story rather than a dictionary, which some parents actually prefer.
Biblical Names That Represent Love
Biblical names connected to love almost always mean beloved rather than love directly, and the distinction matters for accuracy. David, meaning beloved, is the clearest and most used example in scripture.
● David, meaning beloved, given to the second king of Israel.
● Jedidiah, meaning beloved of the Lord, given directly to Solomon in the biblical text.
● Barnabas, meaning son of encouragement, connected to love through the idea of lifting others up.
● Caleb, meaning wholehearted or faithful, tied to devoted, loyal love rather than romance.
● Dewey, an anglicized form of David through the Welsh Dafydd, carrying the same beloved meaning into a modern, shorter form.
A note on accuracy here matters. Not every warm sounding biblical name literally means love, and this guide only labels a name as a love or beloved name when its documented etymology actually supports that claim. A name can carry deep spiritual significance without its literal translation being love, and conflating the two is one of the most common mistakes on baby name sites.
Aesthetic Names Trending With Gen Z for Their Love Meaning
A newer wave of parents and username hunters are picking love names less for tradition and more for how they look on a profile or sound in a voice memo. Soft, breathy names are having a real moment right now.
● Mila, short, trending hard in the United States, and genuinely means dear one.
● Airi, aesthetic and rare outside Japan, carries a documented love and jasmine meaning.
● Amara, popular on social platforms, though its love meaning is contested since its stronger documented roots are grace in Igbo and immortal in Sanskrit.
● Cariad, gaining attention as a genuinely rare word name straight from the Welsh language.
Love Names Blowing Up on Pinterest and Baby Name Apps Right Now
Search interest in love themed names has shifted toward short, single syllable picks that work as both a first name and a username. These are the ones showing up most in current naming forums and baby name apps.
● Ren, unisex, short, and carries a genuine romantic love meaning in Japanese depending on kanji.
● Amare, rising fast in the United States as a gender flexible pick that literally means to love.
● Priya, consistently one of the most searched beloved names worldwide.
● Ai, the shortest possible love name, popular for its simplicity and clean spelling.
Sibling Name Ideas to Pair With a Love Meaning Name
Parents naming a second or third child often want the sibling set to share a theme without every name repeating the exact same meaning. These pairings keep the love theme present without making it feel forced.
● David and Deborah, pairing a Hebrew beloved name with a name meaning bee, both from the same biblical naming tradition.
● Priya and Neha, two Sanskrit names that both carry love related meanings without sounding repetitive together.
● Mila and Milo, sharing a root sound while carrying separate documented meanings.
● Amy and Grace, combining a beloved meaning with a name that reflects a related, gentle virtue.
● Habib and Aziz, two Arabic names that both carry beloved and dear meanings for brothers.
Pronunciation Notes for Tricky Love Names
A handful of the names on this list look straightforward but are easy to mispronounce, especially the ones borrowed from Welsh, Japanese and Greek. This section covers the ones that trip people up most often.
| Name | How It Sounds |
| Cariad | KAR ee ad |
| Myfanwy | muh VAN wee |
| Agape | ah GAH pay |
| Ahava | ah hah VAH |
| Airi | AH ee ree |
| Caratacus | kuh RAT uh kus |
When in doubt, say the name to family members before you commit to it, since a name that reads well on paper does not always sound the way you expect out loud.
How to Choose a Baby Name That Means Love
● Check the documented meaning rather than trusting a single list, since love meanings get exaggerated online more than most other name categories, and a quick cross check usually takes less than five minutes.
● Say the name out loud with your surname before finalizing anything, including any nickname version you expect people to actually use day to day.
● Check how the name reads in other common languages so it does not carry an unintended meaning elsewhere, especially if your family travels or has relatives abroad.
● Consider the initials once the full name is combined with a middle name and your surname, since an unfortunate initial combination is easy to miss until it is already printed somewhere official.
● Decide whether you want a literal love meaning or a name that only symbolizes love culturally, since both are valid choices and neither one is more meaningful than the other.
● Ask family members for their honest reaction before you commit, since a name gets said out loud for a lifetime and it helps to know how it lands on other people first.
How We Verify a Name’s Meaning and Origin
Baby name meanings circulate online with very little fact checking, and love meanings are among the most exaggerated because they sound appealing. Every name in this guide was checked against its documented linguistic origin rather than a single unsourced list.
● Cross checking the claimed meaning against more than one independent naming reference rather than relying on a single site that may have copied an earlier mistake.
● Confirming the original language and, where relevant, the specific characters or script involved, since a name written the same way can mean something different in another language entirely.
● Flagging names where the connection to love is cultural or symbolic rather than a literal translation, such as Valentine, so the distinction is clear rather than implied.
● Leaving out names where the love meaning could not be confirmed, rather than including them anyway just to pad out a longer list.
This is also why a name like Amara appears on this list with a caveat rather than a confident claim. Its stronger documented roots point to grace in Igbo and immortal in Sanskrit, and the love association is mostly a modern, popular assumption rather than an original meaning.
Popular Love Meaning Names Right Now
A few names on this list are not just meaningful, they are also genuinely climbing current baby name rankings. This is worth knowing if you want a name that still feels current a decade from now rather than one that peaked years ago.
● Mila, Slavic, meaning dear one, has held a spot inside the United States top one hundred for several years running.
● Priya, Sanskrit, meaning beloved, remains one of the most consistently searched names connected to love worldwide.
● Amias, Latin, meaning beloved, has quietly moved up the boy name charts without the same visibility as more common picks.
● Airi, Japanese, meaning love and jasmine, has ranked inside Japan’s top female names in recent years.
Nicknames That Come From Names That Mean Love
A few love meaning names double as nicknames for longer, more formal names, which gives you flexibility between a birth certificate name and an everyday version.
● Pippa, a nickname for Philippa, keeping the lover of horses meaning in a shorter, friendlier form.
● Mimi, sometimes used as a nickname for Amy or Amelia, unrelated in etymology but commonly paired anyway.
● Dave or Davy, informal short forms of David, keeping the beloved meaning intact.
● Immy, a nickname for Imogen, a name often linked to beloved child through its possible Greek root.
● Vale, a shortened form of Valentine, keeping the strong and healthy root while sounding more modern.
Common Mistakes When Picking a Love Meaning Name
A few patterns show up again and again on baby name forums, and most of them come down to trusting a single source without checking it against anything else.
● Assuming every name on a love themed list actually means love, when several only sound romantic or got added because they are popular right now.
● Ignoring the kanji or script variation for names like Japanese or Arabic picks, which can quietly change the entire meaning.
● Choosing a name purely for its meaning without checking how it sounds alongside a full legal name and surname.
● Overlooking pronunciation differences between the name’s home language and how it will likely be said locally.
● Treating a symbolic love name, like Valentine, as if its literal etymology is love, when the actual root word means something else entirely.
Middle Name Pairings for Names That Mean Love
A love meaning first name often reads best next to a simpler, shorter middle name so the sentiment does not feel overdone. These pairings are a starting point rather than a fixed rule.
● Amara Grace, pairing a debated love association with a name whose meaning is clearly documented.
● Priya Elise, balancing a Sanskrit beloved name with a soft, classic French middle name.
● David Everett, keeping the beloved meaning front and center with a strong, traditional middle name.
● Mila Jane, combining a currently popular love name with one of the simplest middle names available.
● Habib Malik, pairing an Arabic beloved name with a middle name meaning king, for a name that reads with real weight.
Frequently Asked Questions About Names That Mean Love
What name means love?
Ai in Japanese and Ahava in Hebrew both translate directly to love. Agape in Greek describes selfless, unconditional love specifically.
What girl name means love?
Amanda means worthy of love in Latin, Priya means beloved in Sanskrit, and Ai means love directly in Japanese.
What boy name means love?
David means beloved in Hebrew, Habib means beloved in Arabic, and Erasmus means beloved or desired in Greek.
What is a unique name that means love?
Cariad, the actual Welsh word for love, and Thando, the Zulu word for love, are both genuinely rare choices outside their home languages.
What names mean love and strength together?
Cargus is the clearest match, built directly from Celtic words for love and strength. Aziz and Valentine both carry a strength root alongside a love association.
What Greek name means love?
Agape means selfless love, Eros means romantic love, and Philippa comes from philein, the Greek root for to love.
What Japanese name means love?
Ai, written with the character 愛, means love directly. Aiko, built from the same character, means beloved child.
Final Thoughts on Names That Mean Love
A name that means love carries meaning every time it gets said out loud, whether it is a baby name, a pen name or a handle you build a whole profile around. The strongest picks here come from a real documented root rather than a vague online claim.
Whether you land on a direct translation like Ai or Ahava, a beloved name like David or Habiba, or a symbolic pick like Valentine, the meaning stays with the name for good. Take the time to check the source, say it out loud a few times, and choose the version that actually feels like yours.
If you want to keep exploring, this pairs naturally with our guide to names that mean moon, or with broader lists of
rare baby names if you want more options beyond the love theme.
Related Reading
Elegant baby girl names: browse the full list
Modern baby girl names with meanings: see modern picks
Looking for a boy name instead: explore baby boy names
Naming twins: check twin baby name pairings
Want something gender flexible: see unisex baby names
