Names That Mean Beloved

Frilly but undeniably beautiful. The meaning of Mary is uncertain, but 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).

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

Frigg was the wife of Odin in Norse mythology, and may share a common origin with the goddess Freya.

Amy and all her sisters and cousins was such a popular name that this version was among the Top 1000 girl names in the US until the mid-90s. Last year only 32 baby girls were names Amie.

As the French Esme becomes more popular, it will inevitably spawn spelling variations. This one, like Zoey or Layla, clarifies pronunciation, so while we prefer the original, that's not a bad thing.

Cerian is a diminutive of Ceri (pronounced like Kerry), which comes from a root meaning "love". Both were relatively popular in Wales in the 1980s and 1990s, though they are used less there today.

The meaning of Maria, from which Maryla is derived, 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 Marianna

Sometimes used a Dutch diminutive of Marie, 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).

An entirely Jewish form of David, with the handsome nickname Dov.

Slovene Mia cognate, rarely seen in the US.

A modern spelling of Jedidiah.

A rare Finnish name which is used for both sexes, usually in the middle spot.

Variant of Annemarie

A Gothic name belonging to the wife of Theodemir, a 5th century king of the Ostrogoths, and the mother of Theodoric the Great. The name also belongs to a genus of moths.

Top 100 choice in Italy.

An uncommon variant of the classic name David that was brought to the fore by actor and rapper Daveed Diggs, one of the original stars of "Hamilton" on Broadway. He has said that his parents chose that spelling because his dad "liked the look of it."

Variant of Maricela

Variant of Marianna

Marilee is one of the cheeriest – if least substantial – combinations of Mary with another name.