Names  - Origins 

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LACY: Origin unknown; possilby derived from French place name. The delicate needlework inspired the use of this namne. Which seems very feminine. Relatives: Lacey, Laycee. Namesakes: Lacy Dalton, "Cagney and Lacey."

LADD: Middle English for "young man." Namesake: Alan Ladd.

LAIRD: Scottish for "lord" or "landed gentry." Namesake: Melvin Laird.

LAKEISHA: A blending of "La" and "Keisha." Swahili for "favorite one." Many Swahili names have a delighful melody to them. Relatives: Lawanna, Latasha, Latoya.

LAMAR: Old German for "land." A good androgynous choice. Relatives: Lambert, Lamont. Namesakes: Lamar Alexander, Hedy Lamarr.

LANCE: From the Old French for "knight's attendant" and an abbreviated form of Lancelot. Sir Lancelot was the most famous of King Arthur's knights, and it was he who stole the heart of Queen Guinevere. Relatives: Lancelot, Launcelot, Ancel. Namesakes: Lance Allworth, Lancelot Hogben.

LANDER: Middle English for "property owner." Lander and the variations have a proper "Main Line" spirit to them. Relatives: Landor, Landon, Landry, Landan, Landis, Landers, Landman. Namesakes: Ann Landers, Michael Landon.

LANE: Middle English for "narrow street." Relatives: Laine, Layne. Namesakes: Lane Kirkland, Lainie Kazan, Cleo Laine, "Lois Lane."

LANG: From the Old English and Old Norse for "long" or "tall." Relatives: Langdon, Langford, Langley, Langston, Langhorne, Langtry. Namesakes: Langston Hughes, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Fritz Lang, Hope Lange, Lillie Langtry, "Auld Lang Syne," Langley Air Force Base

LANI: Hawaiian for "sky." An enchanting name for the islands. Check your Hawaiian dictionary for other possibilities. Namesake: Kay Lani Rae.

LARK: From the songbird of that name. A colloquialism, "to lark" means to frolic about enthusiastically. Relatives: Larkin, Lrikin. Namesakes: Philip Larkin, Barry Larkin, Meadowlark Lemon.

LATIMER: From the Middle English for "interpreter." Relative: Lattimore. Namesakes: Hugh Latimer.

LAURA: Latin for "laurel leaves." Laurel leaves have long been a symbol of honor, victory, and academic excellence. Relatives: Laure, Lora, Lori, Lorna, Laurie, Lorry, Laurel, Lauren, Lauryn, Lorin, Laurin, Loryn, Laureen, Laurena, Lauretta, Laurette, Lorina, Lorene, Lauriette, Loretta, Lorette, Lorita, Lorenza, Lor, Lola. Namesakes: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lauren Bacall, Lauren Hutton, Loretta Lynn, Lori Singer.

LAVERNE: From the Old French for "from the alder grove" and Latin ofr "springlike." Relatives: Laverna, La Verne, Verna, Verne, Lally. Namesake: "Laverne and Shirley."

LAVINIA: From the Latin for "purity." Relatives: Lavine, Lavin. Namesakes: a character in Virgil's Aeneid, Lavinia Dickinson.

LAWRENCE: Latin for "laurel crown." Although Lawrence was always one of the fifty most popular names in the United States in the early 1900s, it peaked at number fifteen in 1940, and slipped off in the 1980s. The interesting variations are well wqorth browsing through. Relatives: Laurence, Lawrance, Lorenz, Loren, Laurens, Lorin, Lorcan, Lon, Lonnie, Loring, Lawford, Lawley, Lawton, Lawler, Laughton, Lawry, Larry, Laurent, Lorenzo, Lauritz, Lorne, Lawson, Lars, Larson, Larkin, Labhras. Namesakes: Saint Lawrence, Lorenzo de Medici, Lawrence Welk, Sir Laurence Olivier, Lawrence of Arabia, Lorenz Hart, Lorenzo Lamas.

LAZARUS: Hebrew for "God's help." It was Lazarus Christ raised from the dead, according to the New Testament. Relatives: Lazre, Lazar, Lazaro, Laszlo, El'azar. Namesakes: Swifty Lazar, Emma Lazarus, "Victor Laszlo."

LEAH: From the Hebrew for "weary one" and Greek for "glad tidings." Relatives: Lea, Lia, Liah, Lee, Leatrice. Namesake: a wife of Jacob.

LEANDER: From the Greek for "lion." The Leander of yore swam the unreliable Hellespont to court his beloved Hero, but drowned in his attempt. Relatives: Liander, Leandre, Leandro, Leandra.

LEE: Old English for "glade" or Irish Gaelic for "poet." Lee tucks in well between a first and last name and is appreciated equally by boys and girls. Relatives: Leigh, Lea. Namesakes: Lee Remick, Lee Majors, Lee Grant, Lee Iacocca, Lee Strasberg, Robert E. Lee.

LEIF: Old Norse for "beloved." May be pronounced "leaf" or "life." Namesakes: Leif Ericsson, Leif Garrett.

LEILA: Arabic for "dark as the night." Pronounced "Lay-la," this is one of those names with an unmistakable sultry quality. Relatives: Lila, Lillah, Lyla, Leilia, Lela.

LEILANI: Hawaiian for "heavenly flower." We include this exquisite name to encourage parents to consult Hawaiian phone books.

LEITH: Scottish Gaelic for "wide river." Relative: Leathan

LELAND: Old English for "from the meadow land." Perfect for the letterhead of a future Fortune 500 executive. Relatives: Leighton, Layton. Namesakes: Leland Stanford, Charles Leland

LENA: From the Latin for "alluring." Does anyone know where the expression "leaping Lena" comes from? Relatives: Lina, Lenore, Leonore. Namesakes: Lena Horne, Leonore Fleischer, Lina Wermuller.

LENNON: Irish Gaelic for "cloak." Relative: Lenin. Namesakes: John Lennon, Vladimire Ilyich Lenin.

LENNOX: Scottish Gaelic for "amid the lems." You can't lose with this name. People will assume you are associated with the fine china company or are a descendant of the founders of the lovely old Massachusetts town. Relatives: Lenox, Lenix, Lennie, Lenny, Len. Namesakes: Annie Lennox, Lenox (Mass.), Lenox china.

LEOLA: From the Latin for "lion" and a feminine version of "Leo." Relatives: Leonarda, Leontine, Leontyne. Namesake: Leontyne Price.

LEONARD: From the Old Gherman for "lion-hearted." The hands-down perfect choice for a little Leo. Relatives: Lennard, Lenard, Lennart, Leonardo, Leonhard, Leonid, Leon, Leo, Lennie, Lenny, Len. Namesakes: Leonard Bernstein, Leonard Nimoy, Leonardo da Vinci, Leon Spinks, Leo Tolstoy, Lenny Bruce, Leonid Brezhnev, Leon Trotsky.

LEOPOLD: Frm the Old German for "bold leader." This name was popular with kings of Belgium. Relatives: Luitpold, Leupold, Leopoldo, Leopolda, Leopoldine. Namesake: Leopold Stokowski.

LEROY: From the Old French for "the king." Relatives: Leroi, Lee, Roy. Namesake: "Leroy Brown."

LESLIE: Scottish Gaelic for "dweller in the gray castle" or Old English for "meadow." Once used -interchangeably for girls and boys, the girls have it in the late twentieth century. Relatives: Lesley, Lesly, Les, Lee. Namesakes: Leslie Gore, Leslie howard, Leslie Ann Warren, Leslie Banks.

LESTER: From the Latin for "legion camp." Relative: Les. Namesake: Lester Maddox.

LETHA: From the Greek for "forgetful." Relatives: Lethia, Leitha, Leithia, Leda, Leta. Namesake: "Leda and the Swan."

LETITIA: From the Latin for "joy." For the well-mannered baby.
Relatives: Leticia, Letice, Letizia, Letycia, Leetice, Leta, Letty, Ticia, Tish. Namesakes: Letitia Baldridge, Letty Cottin Pogrebin.

LEVI: From the Hebrew for "united." The international synonym for "blue jeans." You'll never have to sew labels into his denims for camp. The biblical Levi founded the tribe known as the Levites. Relative: Lev. Namesakes: son of Jacob and Leah, Levi Strauss, Primo Levi.

LIANA: From the French for "vine." A particularly melodic name. Relatives: Lianna, Lianne, Liane, Leana.

LILITH: Origin unknown; possibly Sumerian for "ghost." Ancient legends depict Lilith as a hag associated with storms and demons. The Hebrew legend suggests Lilith was created as the same time as Adam but refused to be anything less than his equal. Unwilling to be his wife, she was expelled from Eden to become one with the air. Relatives: Lilyth, Lily.

LILY: From the Latin, lilium, for the flower. The lily, a flower of infinite varieties, is associated with purity, chastity, and innocence. The name has been making a strong comeback in the last few years. Relatives: Lilian, Lily Ann, Lilian, Lilianne, Liliana, Lilias, Lilly, Lili, Lila, Lilia, Lil, Lis. Namesakes: Lillian Hellman, Lillian Vernon, "Lili Marlene," Lily Tomlin.

LINCOLN: Old English for "home by the pond." A fine old family nae=me made famous by the sixteenth president of the United States. Relatives: Linc, Link. Namesakes: Lincoln Steffens, Lincoln logs.

LIND: Old English for "linden tree." All the variations are intersing. Relatives: Lin, Linden, Lyndon, Lindell, Lindberg, Lindley, Lindon, Lindt, Linford, Linely, Linton. Namesakes: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Charles Lindbergh, Lindt chocolates.

LINDA: Spanish for "pretty." Linda, although the most popular girl's name in 1950, slippped to fifth place in 1960 and then into fiftieth place in 1970. Lindsay seems to be the choice of the new era. Relatives: Lynda, Lindy, Lindi, Lin, Linden, Belinda. Namesakes: Linda Hunt, Lynda Carter, Belinda Carlisle.

LINDSAY: Old English for "pool island." This lovely name offers parents a wide choice of spelling possibilities. Be careful, though -- it's a chart buster. Relatives: Lindsey, Lyndsay, Lyndsey, Lyndsy, Lynsey, Linsey, Lindy. Namesake: Lindsay Wagner, Vachel Lindsay.

LINETTE: From the Middle French for "linnet bird" or "flaxen." The linnet is a small variety of finch that feeds on flax seeds. Relatives: Linnette, Lynette, Linnet, Linetta, Linn.

LINUS: From the Old French for "flaxen-haired." There is something endearing about the name Linus -- perhaps because of the "Peanuts" character's delighful philosophies. Namesake: Linus Pauling

LIONEL: Old French for "young lion." If Leonard is too obvious for your little Leo, try this one. Relatives: Lyonel, Lionello, Lion, Lyon. * Namesakes: Lionel Barrymore, Lionel Ritchie, Lionel Hampton.

LITTON: Old English for "hillside town." Relative: Lytton. Namesake: Lytton Strachey.

LLEWELLYN: Old Welsh for "ruling." Just look at a map of Wales to see some truly astonishing arrangements of letters into names. Namesake: Richard Llewellyn.

LLOYD: Old Welsh for "gray-haired." Relative: Floyd. Namesakes: David Lloyd George, Lloyd Bentsen, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Floyd Patterson.

LOCKE: Old English for "stronghold." According to some sources, Robin Hood's real name was Locksley, probably in homage to the town where he was born. Relatives: Lockhart, Locksley, Loch (Scottish for "lake"). Namesake: John Locke.

LOGAN: Scottish Gaelic for "little hollow" and a clan name. A sturdy name for a boy or girl. Namesakes: Josh Logan, Logan Airport.

LON: Irish Gaelic for "fierce." Relatives: Lonn, Lonnie, Lonny, Loni. Namesakes: Lon Chaney, Loni Anderson.

LORELEI: German for "from the Rhine River" or a mythological siren. Lorelei was originally a name given to a formation of treacherous rocks that jutted into the Rhine, making navigation particularly hazardous at that point. A nineteenth-century poet wrote of a woman named Lorelei who was atop the cliff and, with her siren songs, led ships to their doom. Namesake: "Lorelei Lee."

LORRAINE: From the Old German for "where Lothar dwells." Relatives: Loraine, Lorayne, Lorry, Lorrie, Loretta, Lorette, Lorne, Lorna, Lori. Namesakes: Loraine Newman, Loretta Lynn, "Lorna Doone," "Sweet Lorraine," quiche Lorraine.

LOUIS: Old German for "famed warrior." Louis, the name of French kings, may be pronounced "Lewis" or "Loo-ee." But chances are he will always be Lou. Relatives: Lewis, Lewes, Luis, Louie, Lewie, Lou, Lew, Lu, Ludwig, Ludvig, Luigi, Lodovico, Luthias, Llewellyn, Clovis. Namesakes: Saint Louis, Louis Pasteur, Louis Armstrong, Louis Brandeis, Louis Jourdan, Luis Bunuel, Lu Blue, Louisville (Ky.), Saint Louis (M0.)

LOUISE: From the Old German for "warrier maiden" and a feminine version of Louis. Relatives: Luise, Louisa, Louisiana, Luisa, Loise, Lois, Loyce, Lisette, Luana, Luane, Luwana, Lou, Lu, Lulu, Lulie, Ouise, Ouisa, Eloise, Eloisa, Aloysia, Liusadh. Namesakes: Louise Nevelson, Louisa May Alcott, Tina Louise, "Eloise," Lake Louise (Canada).

LOWELL: A Boston Brahmin surname. The Lowell family has produced several generations of revered American poets, including Amy, James, and Robert. Namesakes: Lowell Thomas, Lowell (Mass.)

LUCRETIA: From the Latin for "riches." A name that commands attention. Relatives: Lucrezia, Lucrece, Lucy. Namesake: Lucrezia Borgia.

LUCY Latin for "light." Lucy does have a bright, shiny quality to it. Lucina, in Roman mythology, is a goddess of childbirth. We love Lucy. Relatives: Lucie, Lucia, Luce, Lou, Lu, Luza, Luz, Luciana, Lucianna, Lucianne, Lucienne, Lucida, Lucinda, Lucinde, Lucile, Lucille, Lucette. Namesakes: Saint Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucia Chase, Clare Boothe Luce, Charlie Brown's playmate.

LUELLA: Old English for "elfin." Relatives: Louella, Loella, Luelle. Namesake: Louella Parsons.

LUKE: From the Latin for "light bringer." Saint Luke is the patron saint of physicians and painters because he was thought to have been both. Relatives: Luc, Lucas, Luckas, Luchas, Luca, Luka, Lukas, Lucais, Lucan, Lucian, Lucien, Lucius, Luciano. Namesakes: Jean-Lu Godard, Luciano Pavarotti, Lukas Haas, "Luke Skywalker."

LUNA: Latin for "moon." an interesting choice for a baby born the night of a full moon. Relatives: Lune, Lunetta.

LUTHER: Old German for "warrior." Relatives: Lutera, Lothaire, Lotario. Namesakes: Luther Adler, Luther Burbank, Luther Vandross.

LYDIA: From the Greek for "a woman from Persia." A pretty change from the more familiar Linda. Relatives: Lydie, Lidia. Namesake: Lydia Pinkham.

LYLE: From the Old French for "island." Relatives: Lisle, Lyell. Namesakes: Lyle Lovett, Lyle Alzado, Sparky Lyle, "Lyle Crocodile."

LYMAN: Middle English for "from the meadow." Relative: Leyman. Namesakes: L(yman) Frank Baum, Lyman Bostock, Lyman Beecher.

LYNDON: Old English for "linden tree." Appropriate name for a baby Democrat. Relatives: Lindon, Linden. Namesakes: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Barry Lyndon.

LYNN: Old English for "waterfall." A charming euphonic sound, this works well as a middle name or as a suffix. Relatives: Lynne, Lyn, Lin, Linn, Linell, Linette, Lyndel, Lynna, Lina, Lynnette, Lynette, Lynley. Namesakes: Lynn Swann, Loretta Lynn.

LYSANDER: Greek for "liberator." A little precious, but it might work for a girl. Relative: Lysandra.

~ THE BEST NAME FOR YOUR BABY: A CREATIVE GUIDE TO PROPER NAMES, by Barbara Binswanger and Lisbeth Mark. Henry Holt and Co., New York, 1990.