We love the letter L, for its warm and buttery sound and the lot of soft and strong names it belongs to. Lounge for a moment with our list of the best L names for boys and girls, including popular choices like Liam and Lily, plus plenty of treasures you may have overlooked. 

While Lauren and Larry might not feel as fresh as they did two decades ago, they’ve got neighbors who are lovely new additions to the baby naming circuit. And, whatever your reason for searching for a name that starts with L, we have a feeling your lucky pick lies here…

Boy Baby Names That Start With L

Lance: It has a jaust-y feel thanks to the early version, Lancelot, and the weapon by this same name, but as a given name it is the English interpretation of Lanzo from the German, meaning “land.”

Landon: Also from the English, meaning “long hill,” it’s a strong and faithful baby boy name to love. 

Lamar: It’s remained within the top 1,000 for well over the past hundred years, making it an evergreen name with French origins, meaning “dweller by the pool.”

Lawson: If Lawrence is too traditional for you, consider the more trendy-sounding Lawson, English for the son of Lawrence.

Ledger: It’s a cool word name with a bit of an edge (literally containing an edge). Traditionally, you’d be likelier to see it as a surname—as in the late actor Heath—but new-school parents are imparting it in the first position and we love it. 

Leopold: One of the more old-fashioned names on this list, it’s just one of many sweet options for boys that can be given for a long form of Leo (which means “lion”), like Leonardo, Leonard, and Leon. Leopold is so profound, it might be poised for a comeback; the name means “brave people” with German roots. 

Levan: Pronounced LEV-ahn, it’s adjacent to the Armenian Levon—“lion.” This Georgian spelling and pronunciation are quite rare and a beautiful option for your baby boy. 

Levi: All-American, super-cute, and it has a great meaning, too! We’d be remiss not to mention the jeans association, but this Hebrew baby name meaning “attached, joined” would be amazing even without the denim empire it brings to mind. 

Liam: He’s a chart-topper, and with good reason. The Irish diminutive of William, meaning “resolute protection,” is just as bold as it is sweet-sounding. 

Llewyn: You don’t see a double-l as a name starter often, but this charming choice is worth a little extra effort in getting everyone to spell it correctly. This is a Welsh name that’s been (believe it or not!) shortened from its original version Llewellyn, and means “leader” with alternate meanings “lion” and “fox.” 

Locke: It’s a chic and storied baby boy name from the English, meaning “fortified place.”

Luca: Thanks to the Disney movie, we’ll probably be seeing a lot of this sweet Italian name in the months and years to come, but Luca has been popular forever. It’s an option if you want to put a twist on standbys like Luke or Lucas. In Italian Luca translates to “light.” 

Lynx: This one has all the makings of the trendy names for baby boys, between its one-syllable construction and use of both a y and an x. It’s an animal name—the lynx is a sharp, beautiful wildcat. 

Lysander: Who doesn’t love a little Shakespeare in the mix? The Greek name translating to “liberator” is a unique answer to Alexander, and of course, belongs to a romantic from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Girl Baby Names That Start With L

Laken: This one is just dripping with cool-girl cred, a variation on the English word name Lake. 

Layla: Twenty years ago, she was still crawling out of the high 100’s for popularity, but now Layla is in the top 25. The name, of Arabic origin, means “night.” 

Lettie: A beautiful baby girl name reminiscent of Lottie (Charlotte’s nickname, and another pretty L name), it means “joy, gladness” with Latin roots—the original form is Letitia. 

Libby: This list is just loaded with L names that sound like nicknames, but that’s because they’re lovely! Libby is a diminutive of Elizabeth that works well on its own, meaning “pledged to God.” Lisbeth is another mini-Elizabeth to consider. 

Lily: She’s just stepped out of the top 30 for the first time in over 10 years, but the pretty flower name is still popular. 

Lilibet: With the recent baby news from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, naming their daughter Lillibet Diana, this beautiful baby girl name is sure to skyrocket. It’s another take on Elizabeth but with such a soft charming sound and spelling. 

Lilith: It’s a charged, haunting name meaning “ghost” or “night monster,” conjuring up power and mystery. The Assyrian baby girl name derives from the word lilitu meaning “of the night.” It is best known in modern context for the Lilith Fair, which has given millions of dollars to women’s charities, for a feminist and unexpected pick you might love. 

Lollie: This vintage-sounding baby girl name can be used as a nickname for Lola, Dolores, Penelope, Laurel, Charlotte, and lots of other pretty picks. However, it’s special enough to stand on its own as a sweets-themed food name for Baby.

Lourdes: The Basque baby girl name meaning “craggy slope” packs a punch. It was more popular in the 1960’s than it is now, but has never been an overused name despite finding some increased interest when Madonna imparted it on her daughter born in 1996.

Lucy: We love Lucy; come on, who doesn’t? The classic baby girl name is the English version of Lucia from the Latin (“light”), and both versions remain relevant.

Louella: A modern invented name that combines Louise and Ella for the feminist-feeling meaning “warrior-fairy maiden.” It might not be a chart-topper, but we imagine it’ll gain speed as more and more parents discover its charming sound. 

Louisa: She’s so classic, and the Latin name has both sweetness from its sound and strength from its meaning—“renowned warrior.” Luisa is an alternate spelling popular in France and Spain, and Lu or Lulu are cute nickname ideas. 

Luna: Translating to “moon” in Italian, it’s a glowing nature name embraced by families all over the globe, having risen steadily over the past 20 years.

Luxanna: Definitely one of the rarer names on our list, the cunning, exotic name of Slavic origin means “from the light.”

Lyra: The Greek name for a small, harp-like instrument, called a lyre in English, has risen in ranking for popular baby names recently, and we can see why. Fans of The Golden Compass will also recognize it as a literary name.

Gender-Neutral Baby Names That Start With L

Lachlan: Classic and unforgettable—it’s more popular in Australia than here, and more common for boys than girls, but the Scottish landowner’s name is slowly becoming more widely considered a unisex name of global intrigue. 

Landry: This lovely French/English name is perfect for the tiny person who will soon be running the show… It means “ruler.”

Lane: The English word name for a narrow roadway or formed path is equally refined and elegant for a baby boy or girl. 

Lanier: A French name—meaning “wool worker”—this was traditionally given to boys but is moving into gender-neutral territory in at least English-speaking countries. 

Legacy: Word names are having a moment, and this pretty one has so much style and flair.  

Legend: Another word name, with a somewhat related meaning to the one that came before. This one gets a leg-up from singer/songwriter John Legend. 

Lexington: It’s a US place name (for the city in Kentucky) which is just darling for a boy or girl. Originally, the name broken down means “town of the new law” from the English.

Linden: The lovely nature name for a bushy green tree is simply sweet for a baby of any sex.

Lindsay: We’ve heard it much more often for girls than boys over the years, but this classic moniker is certainly gender-neutral, referring to marshlands or an island of linden trees.

Linley: A gender-neutral baby name with English roots meaning “from the flax meadow,” it’s hardly just entered the top 1,000 names which makes it a wonderfully unique choice for your baby.

Logan: The Scottish name meaning “little hollow” has fallen in and out of favour several times over the past 100 years-plus, and is currently on a high note.

Looking for More Baby Name Inspiration?

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