Girl Dog Names That Start With L
- Leilani
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"heavenly flower"Description:
Lyrical, lively and bold, Leilani is a name that feels fresh, floral, and summery. Sharing sounds with the popular Lillian, Layla and Luna, Leilani is a fairly recent addition to the US Top 100.
- Lina
Origin:
Arabic; Latin diminutiveMeaning:
"tender"Description:
This pretty, succinct Arabic name is also commonly used as a nickname for names like Carolina.
- Lilac
Origin:
English, from PersianMeaning:
"bluish or lilac"Description:
Could Lilac be the next Lila or Lily or Violet? It certainly has a lot going for it--those lilting double 'l's, the fabulous fragrance it exudes, and the fact that it's a color name as well, providing a ready made nursery theme. In addition, the lilac is symbolic of first love.
- Lou
Origin:
Short form of LouiseMeaning:
"renowned warrior"Description:
Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to gain even more widespread style credibility since Heidi Klum and Seal chose it for their daughter.
- Leila
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"night"Description:
Leila was popularized in the West by the poet Byron, who used it in his poem Don Juan for a ten-year-old Turkish girl. Leila also appears as a fairy in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera Iolanthe.
- Liv
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"life"Description:
The fame of actress and Aerosmith daughter Liv Tyler helped to infuse life into this short but solid Scandinavian name that was chosen for her daughter by Julianne Moore.
- Lisa
Origin:
English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, ItalianMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Elvis naming his daughter Lisa Marie and Nat King Cole's hit song "Mona Lisa" conspired to catapult one of Elizabeth's many offshoots to a high of #4 in 1970.
- Lara
Origin:
Russian, diminutive of Larissa or LarisaMeaning:
"citadel"Description:
This is an alternative to Laura or Lauren made romantic by Dr Zhivago, and badass by video-game heroine Lara Croft.
- Lorelai
Origin:
Spelling variation of Lorelei, GermanMeaning:
"alluring, temptress"Description:
Lorelai is the spelling used for the character played by Lauren Graham on The Gilmore Girls, as well as her daughter, who preferred the nickname Rory. The television show reintroduced this name to a new generation, but the Lorelai spelling could be confusing -- is it lor-ah-LAY? -- to those unacquainted with the Gilmores.
- Lia
Origin:
Diminutive of names ending in -lia or Italian variation of LeahMeaning:
"weary"Description:
Used throughout Europe and in Hawaii, Lia sounds just like its mother name Leah, but looks particularly pretty on paper. Sleek and simple, Lia is an internationally flexible choice that might also be short for such names as Amelia or Dahlia.
- Lettie
Origin:
English, diminutive of Letitia, LatinMeaning:
"joy, gladness"Description:
Lettie, also spelled Letty, is a nickname name not heard in over a century, giving it the patina of a treasured antique. Lettie's style currency is rising with the trend for old-fashioned, down-to-earth nicknames. Lettie is right in step with Lottie, Hettie, Hattie, Josie, and Maisie.
- Leda
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"happy"Description:
Leda is that rare name that has not yet been discovered in the current craze for ancient names from mythology. In classical Greek myth, Leda was a great beauty who mothered another great beauty, Helen of Troy. Leda is at once simple, deeply-rooted, and unique: Only 23 baby girls were named Leda in the US last year. A name used in several European countries, pronunciation is usually the straightforward lee-dah but the Italians say lay-dah.
- Luciana
Origin:
Feminine variation of LucianusMeaning:
"light"Description:
Lushly elaborate name that makes Lucy more grownup and sensual. Carnie Wilson chose it for her daughter. Lucianus is an ancient Roman family name and Lucianus of Samosata was an early satirist. Heard most often in the Italian and Spanish cultures, Luciana is usually pronounced loo-chee-anna.
- Love
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"love"Description:
Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of the fastest-rising names of the year. Other love-related alternatives include Juliet, Valentina, and Amor.
- Lilou
Origin:
Occitan pet form of French LilianeMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Lilou is a charming, rarely heard import. Occitan is a language spoken in Provence, in the south of France, in which the suffix "ou" denotes a pet form — thus, Lilou as a short form of Liliane or its Occitan form Liliana or Liliano. Its popularity in France--where it's currently Number 12--can be traced to the 1997 film The Fifth Element.
- Lula
Origin:
Diminutive of any Lu nameDescription:
Lula is one of the livelier nickname-names with the fashionable double-L sound: It joins Lulu, Lila, Lily, and Lou among the trendiest names today. Lula might be short for Talula and sisters or for Lucy or Louise, or may stand on its own two adorable feet. Lula was actually a Top 50 name in the late 1880's and continued in the Top 100 for a couple of decades more.
- Leia
Origin:
Spelling variation of Leya, Spanish; HindiMeaning:
"the law; lion"Description:
This spelling variation of Leya was popularized by the Star Wars films, but is still firmly in the US Top 1000 many years later. This spelling is also probably preferred as it is clearer in pronunciation to the original Hindi name, Leya (which sometime gets pronounced Lee-ah).
- Laila
Origin:
Spelling variation of Layla (Arabic); Sami variation of Helga (Finland)Meaning:
"night; holy"Description:
Beguiling and lovely, Laila is one of the lilting variations of Leila and Layla. It's the name of the former-boxer daughter of Muhammad Ali and of actor Shawn Wayans. In Finland, the Sami people use this in place of the Scandinavian name Helga.
- Larkin
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"rough, fierce"Description:
While Larkin takes this name from girlish bird to boyish surname, there are actually more female Larkins these days than male, and it's a name that works as well for either gender.
- Lorraine
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"from the province of Lorraine"Description:
Sweet Lorraine might just be old enough to be ripe for reconsideration. This French place name has moved in and out of fashion in the few hundred years it's been used as a girls' first name, somewhat influenced by the alternative name of Joan of Arc--Saint Joan of Lorraine. It was quite popular from the 1920s to the fifties, but has pretty much been in limbo since then.