Names That Mean Beloved

A paramour of Alexander the Great and the heroine of a Massenet opera, this name is nothing if not dramatic.

A top ten choice in Chile and a popular name throughout the Spanish-speaking world, Maite is a mighty-sounding name with a soft and sweet meaning. It is also found as a contracted form of María Teresa or María Esther.

A less-popular alternative to Juliette, perhaps – although it feels rather more dated.

Combination of Mary and Ann which has been more popular than Marianne in recent years, although still below the Top 1000, after a peak in the 1940s.

A viable David alternative with a hint of worldliness.

Truncated form of Marylouise.

A loveday in medieval England was a day when people engaged in a dispute would come together and try to resolve their differences amicably. The name was sometimes given to babies, male or female, who were born on such a day. The etymology of Loveday is English, yet historical use was mainly relegated to Cornwall, and it is considered a traditional Cornish name. Loveday is rarely used today, however, when it is, it is usually used for baby girls.

A seriously classic name meaning love, Adelpha is also the name for a genus of butterflies.

Blink and you’ll miss that the first I in Jedidiah was swapped for an E.

A diminutive of the (male) name Dafydd, the Welsh form of David. In the US, it's strongly associated with the candy.

For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.

Though the y in this variation may seem unnecessary, it hasn't prevented Mariyah from charting in the US Top 1000 for the last decade.

Phonetic spelling of Esme, popular in the UK.

Common Japanese name rising for both sexes in the US.

Davis may seem an unlikely choice for a girl, but over 50 baby girls received the name in the US last year, perhaps in honor of an ancestral David. Viola Davis is a notable female namesake.

Turkish form of Mary or Miriam, very popular in its homeland and, increasingly, in France too. The Turkish name for the Virgin Mary is Meryem Ana (or Meryemana).

Derived from Old English leof "dear, beloved" + ric "power; reign; kingdom". A notable historical bearer is Leofric, Earl of Mercia: he was the husband of Lady Godiva, who (legend has it) promised his wife that he would reduce taxation if she rode naked through the streets of Coventry.

A gentle old-fashioned compound name that has never been epidemically popular, but is now almost unused.

Derived from Maria, the meaning of which is uncertain. Theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Variant of Marianne or Maryann