Boy names that mean love
Love is the meaning most often claimed and least often checked. These twenty-four hold up: the Latin amatus group, the Slavic mil family, Hawaiian aloha and ipo, Yoruba sentences about who loves whom, and Persian mehr, which is love and the sun and a god at once. Where a derivation is disputed, we say so on the entry.
- Amadoah-MAH-dohSpanish
Beloved: the past participle of amar, from Latin amatus. Standard in Spain, Latin America and the Philippines.
- AmiasAM-ee-usEnglish
Traditionally read as loved, by association with Latin amare. That is a plausible guess, not a proven derivation; Amiens in northern France is the other proposal.
- DavidDAY-vidHebrew
Traditionally glossed beloved, from the root d-w-d. The ultimate derivation is disputed, and the honest phrasing is traditional rather than certain.
- DavideDAH-vee-dehItalian
The Italian David, three syllables with the final e fully sounded.
- Davitdah-VEETArmenian
Դավիթ — in Armenian use since the Bible was first translated into the language.
- DawitDAH-weetAmharic
The Ethiopian David, from Geʽez. Emperor Dawit I ruled at the turn of the fifteenth century.
- Daudidah-OO-deeSwahili
David by way of Arabic Dawud, with the three vowels of the Swahili spelling each given their own beat.
- Kāwikakah-VEE-kahHawaiian
David reshaped by Hawaiian sound rules. The w is a v after i, and the sense crosses over intact.
- Caradockah-RAH-dokWelsh
Beloved, from the Brittonic root carat- — the ancestor of Welsh caru, to love, and caradwy, lovable.
- ArmasAR-mahssFinnish
Beloved, dear: the poetic adjective, from the same family as armo, grace, and armelias, merciful.
- KaipoKY-pohHawaiian
The sweetheart, from ka (the) + ipo (lover, darling). Ipo is the plain word, not a poetic flourish.
- Kealohakeh-ah-LOH-hahHawaiian
The love — ke + aloha, which covers love, affection, compassion and mercy as well as the greeting.
- MilanMEE-lahnCzech
Dear, kind, gracious, from the Slavic root mil. Unrelated to the Italian city, which English says mi-LAN.
- MilošMEE-loshCzech
The same mil with the old affectionate suffix -oš. The full compound behind it is Miloslav, dear glory.
- MiloMY-lohEnglish
Likeliest source is a Germanic mil-, usually connected with Slavic mil, dear. The tidy gloss soldier, from Latin miles, is a later attraction.
- LubomírLOO-bo-meerCzech
ľub (love, fondness — Polish lubić, Russian lyubov) + mír.
- Mehranmeh-RAHNPersian
Of mehr, a word that means the sun, the yazata Mithra, and affection all at once. Mehrabān, kind, is built on it.
- RasmusRAHS-mussDanish
Beloved, desired: the Nordic short form of Erasmus, from Greek erasmios, on the verb eran, to love.
- FemiFEH-meeYoruba
God loves me. On the page it is fẹ́ (loves) + mi (me); the divine subject comes from the full form Olúwáfẹ́mi.
- Obafemioh-BAH-feh-meeYoruba
The king loves me — ọba (king) + fẹ́ + mi, a complete sentence used as a name.
- Gurpreetgoor-PREETPunjabi
Love of the Guru, from gur + prīt (love, Sanskrit prīti): devotion to a living authority.
- Aziza-ZEEZArabic
From the root ʿ-z-z, which carries mighty and cherished at the same time. Both senses are current, and both are meant.
- Emreem-REHTurkish
Traditionally companion or friend, and in older Turkish âşık: one who loves, hence a folk poet.
- PhilipFIL-ipGreek
Lover of horses, from philos (loving, dear) + hippos. The philos is the one inside philosophy.
Three shapes love takes in a name
Beloved, stated plainly. Latin amatus gives Spanish Amado; Greek erasmios gives Danish Rasmus; Finnish Armas is the poetic adjective for dear; Welsh Caradoc goes back to Brittonic carat-, the root still visible in caru, to love. Slavic contributes a whole family from one syllable: Milan, Miloš and Lubomír all rest on mil, dear and gracious, and English Milo probably does too, whatever the dictionaries of the nineteenth century said about Latin miles.
Love as a relationship, not an adjective. Hawaiian names the person: Kaipo is the sweetheart and Kealoha is the love. Yoruba names the act, in a full sentence — Femi says God loves me and Obafemi says the king loves me. Punjabi Gurpreet is devotion pointed at a specific teacher. Persian is the most interesting of the group: mehr, the element in Mehran, is simultaneously the sun, the ancient god Mithra and the ordinary modern word for kindness, and Persian has never seen a reason to separate them.
Two names that need a hedge. David is the great love name in English, borne in seven languages on this list alone, and "beloved" is the traditional gloss — but the derivation from d-w-d is disputed, and anyone telling you it is settled has not checked. Amias is worse: the resemblance to amare is suggestive and completely unproven. Both are on the list because the tradition is real and old; neither is on it as a fact. For the adjective on its own, see names that mean beloved, and the wider index is on the meanings hub.