Lodestar

Lodestar is an old word for a star that leads the way, such as the North Star; it can also be used to refer to something or someone that serves as a guide. It’s made up of Middle English lode (journey, course, way, path) combined with star (star). Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: a word referring to…

Leonidas

Leonidas is an Ancient Greek male name meaning “son of a lion”, made up of Ancient Greek Leon (lion) which derives from an uncertain origin. It’s possible it could have been adopted from a non Indo-European source, perhaps from Proto-Semitic *labiʾ-, *labuʾ- (lion); and suffix –ídās -ῐ́δᾱς, a patronymic suffix meaning “son of”. Leonidas I was the name of…

Liber

Liber is the god of viticulture, wine, and male fertility in Roman mythology, making him the Roman equivalent of Dionysios. The origin of the name derives from Latin līber meaning “free, independent, unrestricted, unchecked” via PIE root word *h₁lewdʰ- (people). However, the name may also be related to Ancient Greek leíbō λείβω “to pour out…

Lunaris

Lunaris is a Latin word, an adjective meaning “of the moon” or “pertaining to the moon; lunar”. It’s made up of lūna (moon) combined with the suffix -āris. As far as I can tell, it’s never been used as a given name. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: “of the moon” or “pertaining to the moon; lunar” Usage:…

Laken

Laken is a modern American name, an elaboration of Lake meaning, obviously, “lake”. It descends from Old English lacu (pool, pond; expanse of water; lake) which ultimately derives from PIE root word *leg- (to leak). Laken (also spelled Laeken) is also the name of a Belgian municipality near Brussels, derived from Proto-West Germanic *laku (stream;…

Lansing

Lansing comes from a Dutch surname, a patronymic name from given name Lans, the Dutch form of Germanic Lanzo via Proto-Germanic *landą (land) derived from PIE root word *lendʰ- (land, heath). Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: “land” Usage: English Variants:

Leodis

Leodis is a rare given name which seems to derive from an English surname, itself an Old English form of Latin *Lādenses, which may have been adapted from the name of a nearby river of Proto-Celtic origin; the suffix is from Latin -ēnsis (of or from a place) while the first element is from a…

Legend

Legend comes from an English noun referring to a story about the distant past, describing extraordinary (sometimes implausible) events about something that happened or a person associated with legends.The origin of a legend is usually rooted in fact, however distorted it becomes over time, like the legend of Troy or the legend of Gilgamesh. Legend…

Lorenzo

Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish form of Roman cognomen Laurentius meaning “from Laurentum”, Laurentum being an ancient city in Itay most likely derived from Latin laurus meaning “laurel”. It derives from Ancient Greek daphne (laurel, bay), likely coming from a much older source; the letters changed from d- to l- due to a change in dialect. Lorenzo is also a surname originating from the given name….

Lautaro

Lautaro is the name of a 16th century indigenous leader who led a revolt against the Spanish conquest of Chile. Under his command, they inflicted crushing defeats against the Spanish forces despite being less well equipped with inferior weapons; but Lautaro’s death at the age of 23 saw an end to the resistance. Lautaro is…

Liran

Liran לירן is a Hebrew unisex name (though more popular for men) meaning “my song” or “my joy”, making it a variant of Liron, made up of Hebrew li לִי (to me; myself) and ran רן (to sing). Liran is also a Chinese unisex name with a variety of meanings depending on the characters used…

Lothar

Lothar is a German male name, made up of Old High German hlūt (loud, famous) and heri (army), meaning “famous army”. It’s the name of several Frankish kings (spelled Chlothar). Lothar is also a surname originating from the given name. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: “famous army” Usage: German, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian Variants:

Liwen

Liwen is a Chinese unisex name with a variety of meanings depending on the characters used, such as: There are likely other meanings depending on the characters used. Liwen is also a Mapuche word meaning “dawn, morning”, the Mapuche being an indigenous people of Chile and Argentina. From what I can tell, it seems to…

Lohan

Lohan is a modern French male name, a variant of Elouan, possibly derived from a Breton word meaning “light”. Lohan is also an Irish surname, an anglicized spelling of Irish Ó Leocháin (the same source as Logan) meaning “descendant of Leochán”, Leochán a personal name of uncertain meaning. It could be related to Scottish Gaelic leóghann meaning “lion”, so the surname would essentially…