Lovely Girl Names That Start With L
Baby girls are full of sugar and spice and everything nice, right? We beg to disagree. Little girls can be whatever they want to be. Smart. Messy. Rambunctious. Daring.
These baby girl names that start with L offer a little of everything. Hopefully, one of them feels just right for your new addition.
Lily
Origin: Greek
Lily, a classic floral baby girl name starting with L, commonly symbolizes purity in Christian tradition. It doesn't have to, though. Lily flowers come in all kinds of vibrant, fiery colors, and people named Lily do, too.
Just think of Lily Potter, Harry Potter's fearless mother, and Lily Tomlin, the actress known for playing Frankie in the popular comedy series "Grace and Frankie."
Luna
Origin: Latin
Luna, another name inspired by "Harry Potter" characters, means moon. It was ranked ninth most popular in 2021, making it trendy, nature-inspired and fun all in one.
In the "Harry Potter" series, Luna Lovegood was known for being unapologetically herself, and we hope all little Lunas follow in her footsteps.
Layne
Origin: English
Layne is a baby girl name that's young and old at the same time. It was brought to England in 1066 by the Norman conquest, along with countless other names. It was originally a surname derived from the Old English word "lanu."
It means nothing more than "one who lives in the lane," but it has become a unique, trendy girls name over the past decade or so.
Layla
Origin: Arabic
Layla, sometimes spelled Leila, is one of the most popular girls names starting with L these days. It usually means "dark beauty" or "night."
It was a fairly uncommon name until Eric Clapton released the hit song "Layla" in 1970.
Lucy
Origin: Latin
The feminine form of Lucius comes from the same Latin root: Lux. Lux means light, and Lucy gives it a bubbly, vintage vibe.
Lucy was an extremely popular girls name in the 1950s, experiencing multiple revivals thanks to Lucy from the "Peanuts" cartoon, and later to Lucy from C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia" series.
Leilani
Origin: Hawaiian
If you're looking for an angelic baby girl name starting with L, here it is.
Leilani means heavenly child, and nothing could make your little one seem more angelic than that, short of real angel wings.
Lyla
Origin: Arabic
Lyla, a variation of Layla, also means "night." It can also mean "island beauty," however, probably since Lyla sounds similar to Isla.
London
Origin: English
The origins of this L girl name come as no surprise. London is the capital city of England, and it means "from the great river."
It's a posh-sounding name that many millennials and older Gen Zers recognize from the show "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody." London Tipton was the wealthy, teenage heiress of the series, but she also became a great friend known for her confidence and superb sense of style.
Lucia
Origin: Spanish
If the name Lucy feels too dated, try the Spanish and Italian name Lucia. Like Lucy, it means "light," but Lucia offers a more mature, sophisticated sound.
Luce is another variation for those who want to shorten it even further.
Lauren
Origin: Latin and French
The true meaning of Lauren is up for debate. It's clear that it has French and Latin roots, but some interpret it to mean "wisdom" while others think it's a variation of "laurel."
Either way, it was extremely popular in the 1990s and remains a classic.
Lola
Origin: Spanish
Lola, a bold, exotic girls name starting with L, is a popular given name in most romance languages, particularly Spanish.
It's a shortened version of Dolores, one of the titles given to the Virgin Mary. Despite its Christian origins, the name has taken on decidedly sassy notes, often given to driven, outspoken girls.
Lena
Origin: Greek
Lena, derived from the longer Greek name Magdalena, means "bright, shining light."
It can also be a shortened version of Helena, but it's much more common to use Lena as a stand-alone name these days.
Lia
Origin: Hebrew
Lia has been used in so many different languages that it's our top choice for multicultural baby girl name starting with L.
Aside from being so easy to pronounce across multiple languages, it means "bearer of good news."
Can't go wrong with that.
Logan
Origin: Gaelic
Originally a Scottish last name meaning "dweller at the hollow," Logan evolved into an Irish first name meaning "small cove."
The sea-inspired name is now popular for both girls and boys, ranking No. 325 in 2021. It goes well with names like Riley, Taylor, Ryan and Mason in case you're already planning for baby number two.
Lexi
Origin: Greek
Alexandra is one of the most powerful girls names ever invented. It's a Greek name meaning "defender of man," but it's on the long side for a baby girl name.
In the '90s, shortening it to Alexa or Alex was very common, but Lexi has become the edgier, modern alternative.
Lyric
Origin: French and Greek
If you're the kind of parent who plays your favorite music for your little one even though they haven't even been born yet, Lyric is worth consideration.
The name comes from the word lyre, an ancient Greek stringed instrument that was an early version of the harp. Lyric later came to describe the words of a song, and a baby girl named Lyric is destined to write a song all her own.
Lennon
Origin: Gaelic
In Gaelic, Lennon means "dear one." It's a popular girl's name in Ireland, but in America, parents are most likely to associate it with John Lennon, the late lead singer of the Beatles.
It falls somewhere between preppy and edgy, and it doubles as a unisex name.
Leighton
Origin: English
Leighton hails from England, referring to a quaint town surrounded by meadows.
It's still an uncommon girl name starting with L, but it became slightly more popular after Leighton Meester starred as Blair Waldorf on "Gossip Girl."
For a more casual nickname, try shortening it to Leigh.
Lorelei
Origin: German
This alluring girl name that starts with L literally means "alluring siren." According to legend, a siren is a type of mermaid known for their entrancing singing voice and stunning beauty.
Baby Lorelei might hypnotize her grandparents into giving her way too much candy, or she might take after Lorelai Gilmore, one of the main characters of the hit show "Gilmore Girls."
Leona
Origin: Latin and Italian
For a powerful L baby girl name, try Leona. This Greek name means "like a lion."
For your sake, we hope Leona's crying isn't as fierce as a lion's roar, or you won't be getting sleep for a while.
Legacy
Origin: American
Some names mean exactly what you'd think they would. A legacy is another word for something one passes down to the next generation, be it an inheritance or their life's work.
Our kids are arguably our greatest work ever, so the name Legacy works well. As a bonus, it's modern, unique and undeniably cool.
Lacey
Origin: Greek
Lacey is a form of the longer Greek name Larissa. It was once the name of a city, and today, it's believed to mean "cheerful and free."
Funny enough, it's also the name of a brand of cookies sold at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Lyra
Origin: Greek
Lyra, like the similar music-inspired name Lyric, is a Greek name that means "lyre," an early version of the harp.
Lyra doubles as the name of the constellation that contains Vega, one of the brightest stars in all the sky.
Liv
Origin: Scandinavian
Liv, a Nordic female name, means "protection." It's also a girl's name in modern Danish and Swedish culture with an even cooler meaning: life.
It's also the name Steven Tyler gave to his daughter, Liv Tyler, best known for her role as Arwen in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Lennox
Origin: Gaelic
Lennox, like many unisex baby names starting with L, was once a last name. It's derived from the name of an area in Scotland north of Glasgow, and it means "from the field of elm trees."
This preppy name blends well with modern sibling names like Harper, Harlow, Emerson, Quinn and Finley.
Laurel
Origin: Latin
Laurel is a nature-inspired girl name that we adore. Laurel is another name for the sweet bay tree, which is symbolic of victory, grace and honor.
Laurel is sometimes shortened to Laura, but the more creative Relly is extra special.
Lindsey
Origin: English
A Scottish and English baby girl name, Lindsey means "a lake." It used to be considered a masculine name, but during the 1990s the baby name trends shifted and it became more popular as a girl name.
It's a fairly common name used frequently in pop culture. It was even used on "Arrested Development" as the name of an attractive heiress.
Libby
Origin: Hebrew
The name Elizabeth, meaning "consecrated to God," has so many variations; Eliza, Lizbeth, Liz, Beth, Lizzie, and so on and so forth.
People often forget about Libby, however, and it's really too bad. Libby is a particularly cute nickname for Elizabeth, and it's also the name of the most popular brand of pumpkin pie filling.
Random, but fun.
Lenora
Origin: Spanish
Lenora is a vastly underutilized baby girl name starting with L. Meaning light, Lenora used to be more popular, but its current rarity is a plus in our opinion.
It can easily be shortened to Nora if it sounds a tad too formal.
Lorena
Origin: Latin
Lorena can either mean "of Laurentum," or "of the Laurel tree." Either way, the name Lorena is an unusual baby girl name with L that's worth considering.
Its full version reminds us of Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian singer-songwriter and instrumentalist known for her Celtic-inspired music.
It can also be shortened to Loren, like the singer Loren Gray.