Cat Names That Start With L

This strong (literally) African name comes from the Chewa language of southern Africa.

It sounds like a modern nature name, but Leafy was coined as a Puritan nickname for the girls' name Relief, which referred to the relief of Christ.

Lexus, an automotive newcomer, has recently entered the Top 1000 -- more because of its association, we fear, with the status symbol car than its relation to the name Alexis. If you love this name, do your child a favor and make it Alexis or at least spell it Lexis.

The Spanish Alonso and the Italian Alonzo are both widely used in the US, so you may meet more guys named Lonny than you expect.

A rare French name derived from Latin lupus "wolf". It is most often found in the compound name Jean-Loup, as in Jean-Loup Chrétien, an astronaut and the first Frenchman in space.

Olympic athlete Usain Bolt introduced this unusual and electric nature name to the lexicon when he chose it for his daughter's middle name: Olympia Lightning Bolt. Now there's a name with layers of meaning!

Lissy may be this generation's answer to Missy. It's rare to see Lissy on a birth certificate, but if you pay attention, you may notice it as a nickname for names such as the classic Elizabeth or hot traditional choice Felicity.

In the Basque lands of Spain, this name is reserved for boys. But given it's similarity to the name Lisa, we think that this might be ripe for claiming by girls.

Breton variant of Lilwen

Loyal has history as a boy name—most popular in the late 19th century, later falling off the charts in 1948. This was back when loyalty suggested faithfulness to one's country, rather than fidelity to others. Today it would likely be interpreted as the latter.

Modern virtue names are rapidly rising in popularity—could Loyal be the next True?

A surname and first name in Wales, similar to (but less familiar than) Lloyd.