133+ Heartwarming Baby Names Meaning Love (Best Picks)

Every parent names their child with love. But some parents go one step further and name their child after it.

Names meaning love exist in virtually every language and culture that has ever existed. Hebrew, Sanskrit, Japanese, Welsh, Latin, Arabic, Irish, Norse. Every tradition found a way to encode love into a name. And the result is one of the most diverse and genuinely beautiful collections in all of baby naming.

Some of these names directly mean love. Some mean beloved, or adored, or dear. Some are named after goddesses of love who ruled mythology for thousands of years. All of them carry that same essential thing — the declaration that this person arrived in the world already surrounded by it.

Here are 134 of the best.

Girl Names Meaning Love

There is no shortage of girl names connected to love across world languages.

What is interesting is how differently each culture understood love. The Greeks had multiple words for it — romantic love, familial love, divine love, friendship. The Japanese packed the concept into single characters with layered meanings. The Welsh gave it a sound that is musical and rare. Every section below comes from a different corner of the world and they are all saying the same thing.

1. Amy — From the Old French Amée, meaning “beloved.” One of the most used love names in the English-speaking world and still completely beautiful.
2. Amara — Means “grace” and “beloved” across multiple African languages. In the US top 1000 and climbing.
3. Esme — From Old French, means “loved” and “esteemed.” Rising fast on both sides of the Atlantic.
4. Mila — Slavic origin, means “dear” and “gracious.” One of the fastest rising girl names in the US right now.
5. Cara — Italian and Irish, means “beloved” and “dear one.” Warm, simple, and beautiful.
6. Carys — Welsh, means “love.” Pronounced “KA-ris.” Rare outside Wales and completely stunning.
7. Priya — Sanskrit, means “beloved” and “dear one.” Widely used across South Asia and genuinely beautiful.
8. Ahava — Hebrew, literally means “love.” Ancient, rare in the West, and deeply meaningful.
9. Mabel — Old English, means “lovable.” Currently in the US top 200 and the UK top 50 after decades away.
10. Amanda — Latin, means “she who must be loved.” From the word amare, to love.
11. Davina — Scottish form of David, means “beloved.” Sophisticated and rarely used.
12. Cordelia — Celtic and Latin roots, one meaning is “heart” and “daughter of the sea.” Shakespeare’s most loving character in King Lear.
13. Caoimhe — Irish, means “gentle and beloved.” Pronounced “KEE-va.” Ancient and beautiful.
14. Aiko — Japanese, means “beloved child.” One of the most used love names in Japan.
15. Carina — Latin, means “little darling” and “beloved.” Warm and underused.
16. Adora — Latin, means “adored.” Contemporary and elegant.
17. Diletta — Italian, means “beloved.” Rare outside Italy and completely lovely.
18. Seren — Welsh, means “star.” Connected to love through the Welsh poetic tradition.
19. Rhoswen — Welsh, means “white rose.” Roses are the oldest symbol of love in Western tradition.
20. Inanna — The ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. One of the oldest love names in human history.
21. Aphrodite — Greek goddess of love and beauty. Bold and completely original on a modern girl.
22. Venus — Roman goddess of love. She has a planet named after her and one of the most recognisable names in the world.
23. Freya — Norse goddess associated with love, fertility, and beauty. Currently one of the fastest rising names in the UK.
24. Habibah — Arabic, means “beloved.” Ancient and meaningful.
25. Ceinwen — Welsh, means “lovely and blessed.” Pronounced “KINE-wen.” Rare and beautiful.
26. Aimi — Japanese, means “love and beauty.” An alternative to Amy with a Japanese soul.
27. Liebling — German, means “darling” and “beloved.” Rarely used as a name and completely striking.
28. Rudo — Shona origin from Zimbabwe, means “love.” Short, distinctive, and genuinely beautiful.
29. Ailbhe — Irish, one meaning is “bright and beloved.” Pronounced “AL-va.”
30. Milena — Slavic, means “grace, love, and warmth.” Popular across Eastern Europe.

Boy Names Meaning Love

Boy names connected to love are rarer than girl names. Most traditions encoded love more readily into feminine names.

But the ones that exist are genuinely powerful. David has been beloved for three thousand years across Hebrew, Christian, and Islamic traditions simultaneously. Rhys carries the Welsh tradition of love into a name that is modern and cool. And some of the rarest names on this list — Leiv, Caron, Rasmus — are names most English-speaking parents have never encountered. Which makes them worth knowing.

31. David — Hebrew, means “beloved.” Carried by a king, a saint, and millions of men across three thousand years of history.
32. Rhys — Welsh, means “passion” and “love.” Currently climbing fast in the US after years of popularity in the UK.
33. Philip — Greek, means “lover of horses.” One of the twelve apostles, a classic that never dates.
34. Lev — Hebrew and Russian, means “heart.” Short, strong, and full of meaning.
35. Hart — Old English, means “male deer” but carries the heart meaning through its sound. Rare and striking.
36. Caradoc — Welsh, means “beloved” and “amiable.” Ancient and rarely used today.
37. Rasmus — Scandinavian form of Erasmus, means “beloved” and “desired.”
38. Connelly — Irish, means “love and friendship.” Warm surname name rising as a first name.
39. Cai — Welsh, means “beloved.” The original form of the name Kay from Arthurian legend.
40. Eros — Greek god of love. Bold and rarely used as a given name in the English-speaking world.
41. Cupid — Roman god of love. Wildly bold as a given name and completely memorable.
42. Leiv — Old Norse, means “heir” and “beloved descendant.” Rare and striking.
43. Dewi — Welsh form of David, means “beloved.” The patron saint of Wales.
44. Jed — Hebrew, means “beloved of God.” Short, strong, and warm.
45. Jedidiah — Hebrew, the long form of Jed. Means “beloved of the Lord.” Biblical and rarely used.
46. Amadeus — Latin, means “love of God.” Mozart’s middle name. Carries extraordinary musical history.
47. Amato — Italian, means “beloved.” Romantic and rarely used in English.
48. Caran — Welsh, means “love.” Simple, rare, and genuinely beautiful.
49. Obi — Igbo origin from Nigeria, means “heart.” Short, strong, and full of meaning.
50. Amar — Sanskrit and Arabic, means “to love” and “immortal.” Used across South Asia and the Middle East.

Gender-Neutral Names Meaning Love

Some love names belong to no particular gender.

Esme has been used for boys and girls since medieval France. Aiko works for any child. Lennon carries love through the Irish and through John Lennon simultaneously, and parents use it for daughters as readily as sons. These names are not compromises. They are complete.

51. Esme — Means “loved and esteemed.” Used for boys and girls since the Middle Ages.
52. Aiko — Japanese, means “beloved child.” Gender-neutral and genuinely beautiful.
53. Davis — Means “beloved.” Gender-neutral alternative to David with a modern feel.
54. Lennon — Irish, means “dear one” and “little cloak.” John Lennon made it iconic. Now used widely for girls too.
55. Fenmore — English, means “dear love.” Rare and completely striking.
56. Amour — French for “love.” Used for both boys and girls in French-speaking communities.
57. Canan — Turkish, means “love” and “sweetheart.” Gender-neutral and rarely used in the West.
58. Rumi — Japanese and Persian roots, connected to love and poetry through the great Sufi poet. Gender-neutral.
59. Jo — Short for Josephine or Joseph, means “beloved” and “sweetheart.” Clean, simple, complete.
60. Vida — Spanish and Hebrew roots, means “life” and “love.” Gender-neutral and quietly beautiful.

Sanskrit and Eastern Names Meaning Love

Sanskrit has some of the most nuanced and layered love vocabulary in any language.

Eastern philosophical traditions understood love not as a single emotion but as a whole dimension of human experience. The names that came from those traditions carry that depth. Priya and Kama and Prem are not just pretty sounds. They are philosophical declarations made at birth.

61. Priya — Means “beloved and dear one.”
62. Aiko — Means “beloved child.” Already listed but earns its place here too.
63. Kama — Sanskrit, the god of love in Hindu mythology. The direct equivalent of Cupid or Eros.
64. Prem — Sanskrit, means “love and affection.” Widely used across South Asia.
65. Ananya — Sanskrit, means “unique and beloved.”
66. Ishq — Arabic and Urdu, means “passionate love.” Rarely used as a name but deeply meaningful.
67. Yuki — Japanese, one meaning is “love and happiness.”
68. Ai — Japanese and Chinese, means “love and affection.” One syllable, two languages, one meaning.
69. Ren — Japanese, means “love” and also “lotus.” Clean, minimal, beautiful.
70. Mio — Japanese, means “beautiful love.” Light and lovely.
71. Yume — Japanese, means “dream.” Connected to love through the Japanese concept of romantic dreaming.
72. Mei — Chinese, means “beautiful” and connected to love and affection.
73. Citra — Sanskrit, means “bright and beloved.” Rare and beautiful.
74. Sneha — Sanskrit, means “love and tenderness.” Widely used across India.
75. Vashti — Persian and Hebrew, means “beautiful and beloved.”

Celtic and Irish Names Meaning Love

Celtic cultures encoded love into their names in ways that most people outside those traditions have never encountered.

The Welsh word for love is cariad. The Irish word for heart is croí. Both traditions gave the world names built from those roots that are genuinely beautiful and almost entirely unused outside their home cultures. Which makes them exactly the kind of names worth knowing.

76. Carys — Welsh, means “love.” Pronounced “KA-ris.” Beautiful and rare.
77. Caron — Welsh, means “love.” Even rarer than Carys and just as lovely.
78. Caoimhe — Irish, means “gentle and beloved.” Pronounced “KEE-va.”
79. Grainne — Irish goddess of love. Pronounced “GRAWN-ya.” Ancient and mythological.
80. Aine — Irish goddess of love, summer, and wealth. Pronounced “AWN-ya.” One of the most important figures in Irish mythology.
81. Carwyn — Welsh, means “blessed love.” Warm and rarely used.
82. Seren — Welsh, means “star.” Stars have carried love symbolism in Celtic poetry for centuries.
83. Cai — Welsh, means “beloved.” Already listed but belongs here too.
84. Rhoswen — Welsh, means “white rose.”
85. Einir — Welsh, means “golden” and connected to love poetry. Rare and beautiful.
86. Dwynwen — Welsh, the patron saint of lovers. The Welsh equivalent of Valentine’s Day is Dydd Santes Dwynwen. Pronounced “dwin-WEN.”
87. Branwen — Welsh, means “blessed raven.” From the Mabinogion, the great Welsh mythology. A love story at its heart.
88. Aobh — Irish, means “beauty and radiance.” Pronounced “EEV.” Ancient and rare.
89. Cliodhna — Irish goddess of beauty and love. Pronounced “KLEE-na.”
90. Liadan — Irish, means “grey lady” but carries love through the famous poem of Liadan and Cuirithir, one of the great Irish love stories.

Vintage Names Meaning Love

Some of the most beautiful love names fell out of use decades ago and are only now starting to come back.

Mabel returned after fifty years away and is now in the US top 200. Amy, which means “beloved” in French, is showing signs of revival after peaking in the 1970s. The vintage love names on this list carry something that a newly invented love name cannot. Real history. Real people. Real love that went before.

91. Mabel — Means “lovable.” Back in the top 200 in the US after decades away.
92. Amy — Old French, means “beloved.” Peak 1970s but rising again.
93. Amanda — Latin, means “worthy of love.”
94. Cara — Italian and Irish, means “beloved.”
95. Cheryl — From the French chérie, means “beloved.”
96. Darling — Old English, means exactly what it says. Rarely used and completely charming.
97. Dulcie — Latin, means “sweet and beloved.” Victorian and beautiful.
98. Aimee — French form of Amy, means “beloved.” More distinctive than the English spelling.
99. Philomena — Greek, means “lover of strength.” An early Christian martyr. Old and rare.
100. Thaddeus — Aramaic, one meaning is “beloved.” Biblical and underused.

Rare and Unusual Names Meaning Love

Not invented. Not unusual spellings.

Names from traditions most English-speaking parents have never looked at. Every name below is real, carries a genuine love meaning, and will not belong to anyone else in your child’s class. These are for parents who want the meaning more than the familiarity.

101. Ahava — Hebrew, literally means “love.”
102. Inanna — Ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love. One of the oldest love names in human history.
103. Dwynwen — Welsh patron saint of lovers. Pronounced “dwin-WEN.”
104. Habibah — Arabic, means “beloved.”
105. Cliodhna — Irish goddess of beauty and love. Pronounced “KLEE-na.”
106. Rasmus — Scandinavian, means “beloved and desired.”
107. Caradoc — Welsh, means “beloved.”
108. Jedidiah — Hebrew, means “beloved of the Lord.”
109. Amadeus — Latin, means “love of God.”
110. Aobh — Irish, means “beauty.” Pronounced “EEV.”
111. Leiv — Old Norse, means “beloved descendant.”
112. Diletta — Italian, means “beloved.”
113. Canan — Turkish, means “love.”
114. Liebling — German, means “darling.”
115. Branwen — Welsh, from the great Welsh mythology.
116. Rudo — Shona, means “love.”
117. Fenmore — English, means “dear love.”
118. Liadan — Irish, carries love through mythology.
119. Einir — Welsh, connected to love poetry.
120. Astghik — Armenian goddess of love. Rare and completely extraordinary.

Short Names Meaning Love

Short love names are underrated.

A name that carries the entire meaning of love in two or three letters has done something remarkable. It has taken one of the biggest concepts in human experience and compressed it into something a child can write before they can read. That is not a small achievement.

121. Ai — Japanese and Chinese, means “love.” One syllable.
122. Ren — Japanese, means “love.” One syllable.
123. Lev — Hebrew, means “heart.” One syllable.
124. Cara — Two syllables, means “beloved” in three languages.
125. Esme — Two syllables, means “loved.”
126. Mila — Two syllables, means “dear.”
127. Obi — Two syllables, means “heart.”
128. Mio — Two syllables, means “beautiful love.”
129. Prem — One syllable, means “love.”
130. Amar — Two syllables, means “to love.”
131. Cai — One syllable, means “beloved.”
132. Jo — One syllable, means “beloved.”
133. Mei — One syllable, means “beautiful and beloved.”
134. Aine — Two syllables, Irish goddess of love. Pronounced “AWN-ya.”

Wrapping Up

134 baby names meaning love, from every corner of the world.

Some of these names directly say love. Some say beloved, or adored, or dear, or heart. All of them say the same thing in the end. That this person arrived already held. That was true before they had a name, and it will be true long after anyone remembers what the name meant.

Go back through the ones that stopped you. Say them out loud slowly. Love names sound different spoken than read. Softer, or warmer, or more complete. The right one will feel obvious the moment you actually hear it.