149 Names That Mean Love

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

This name dates back to Arthurian legend, in which Angharad was the lover of Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table, and was used more recently for the name of the favorite wife of the warlord in Mad Max: Fury Road. It was quite popular in the Middle Ages and is still heard in Wales, but we doubt that even the glamorous Rosie Huntington-Whiteley could propel it to wider popularity.

Simple African name all-but-unknown in the U.S. and Europe, which is exactly why it might make a perfect choice. Similarity to such popular names as Ava and Eva (and the Irish Aoife) makes it more familiar, but potentially more confusing.

From the Irish Leannan, this, unfortunately, would be constantly mistaken for Lennon.

A famous bearer is Carwyn Jones, leader of the Welsh Labour Party and First Minister of Wales since 2009. Feminine version is Carwen.

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.

The Welsh word for "love" and a term of endearment turned modern word-name, Cariad is a sweet possibility that might work well as a name for a February or Valentines baby or a name for a Christmas baby. A famous bearer is British comedian Cariad Lloyd.

Connelly is an open, inviting, and rarely used Irish surname that can make a perfect alternative to the overused Connor or Colin for a boy.

See AMIAS.

Amarissa is kind of cobbled together from two traditional elements: Ama, which means "love" or "lover" and is found in such more established names as Amabel and Amariah, and -issa, which is a common feminine suffix that functions as a diminutive. While Amarissa is pretty and frilly, it may frequently be misunderstood as Marissa, Melissa, and may ultimately be more trouble than it's worth.

A love-filled word name most notably borne by Heart Phoenix, mother of River, Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer. She legally changed her name from Arlyn in 1988.

Beach boy name of the 1960s, Darrell is still a presence on the charts and may graduate into a stately surname name.

This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old Norse and some modern Nordic languages, meaning "love" or "to love".

Anabel is the sleekest version of this lovely name with so many variations, all of them correct. But Anabel and all her sisters -- Annabel, Annabelle, Anabella etc. -- took a downward turn after the 2014 horror film Annabelle.

This phonetic version of the Welsh Cerys might be easier for Americans, certainly, to understand, but it does lose some poetry in translation.

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.

Name that's virtually unknown here but has a lovely meaning and a simple sound and spelling.

Kordian was created by Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki for his eponymous romantic hero, based on Latin cor, cordis "heart". Cordian is the Anglicized form.

Its association with the word liebe gives this name an endearing, adored aura.

This Dutch name stems from the Greek root word "philos" meaning "love". It is relatively common in the Netherlands.