Girl's name
Liv
Say it LIV
Roots in Old Norse and English defense, protection
1 syllable
Where Liv is loved, common and rare
Common across the Netherlands, five German cities, Sweden and four more places. Rare in Berlin, France, Canada and six more places.
1 in 4,225 girls born in Ireland in 2025
The Netherlands 27thSweden 48thIsrael 52nd
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 21 of the 40 official lists, among them the Netherlands (27th), Sweden (48th) and Israel (52nd).
Show all 21 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Netherlands | 27th 2025 | 358 | about 1 in 170 |
| Sweden | 48th 2025 | 187 | about 1 in 215 |
| Israel ליב | 52nd 2024 | 360 | about 1 in 218 |
| Switzerland | 67th 2025 | 99 | 1 in 343 |
| Norway | 73rd 2025 | 86 | 1 in 253 |
| Cologne city | 74th 2023 | 17 | about 1 in 361 |
| Munich city | 86th 2025 | 16 | about 1 in 262 |
| Berlin city | 107th 2023 | 29 | about 1 in 500 |
| France | 130th 2025 | 395 | 1 in 726 |
| Quebec province | 208th 2025 | 28 | about 1 in 929 |
| Austria | 279th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 1,786 |
| Catalonia region | 348th 2025 | 9 | 1 in 2,141 |
| Ontario province | 590th 2024 | 21 | about 1 in 2,594 |
| Ireland | 608th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 4,225 |
| Scotland | 632nd 2025 | 4 | 1 in 4,473 |
| Italy | 884th 2024 | 11 | 1 in 16,288 |
| England and Wales | 2277th 2025 | 12 | 1 in 21,107 |
| Denmark | 43rd 2025 | 156 | rank only |
| Rostock city | 46th 2025 | 4 | about 1 in 246 |
| Bonn city | 65th 2025 | 9 | about 1 in 335 |
| Leipzig city | 77th 2025 | 7 | about 1 in 375 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Statistics Denmark (DST) (Denmark); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Liv comes from Scandinavia, where it derives from the Old Norse hlif, 'defense, protection', a word also used for a shield or a coat of mail. Over time it has been coloured by the modern Scandinavian word liv, 'life'. In English it also serves as a short form of Olive and Olivia.
Read the restShow less
A single syllable, said LIV, it is about as brief as a name can be, and it rhymes with 'give'. Liva and Lieve are related forms.
Liv is a Northern European favourite. It is a top-30 name in the Netherlands and ranks high in Denmark and Sweden. In the English-speaking world it is used in Quebec, Ontario and Ireland, though less often. In France it reached its highest point in 2024, and it is rising in more places than it is falling, so its short, strong sound is clearly finding new admirers.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LIV, 1 syllable
- Meaning
defense, protection
- Origin
- Old Norse and English
- Other spellings
- Olive
- Liva
- Lieve
Etymology
From Scandinavian Liv, from Old Norse hlif 'defense, protection; byrnie, shield', influenced by modern Scandinavian liv 'life'. Also an English diminutive of Olive and Olivia.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 7 of 19 regions, falling in 3.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 1416 | 1733 | 1170 | 1439 | 1127 | 1569 | 1245 | 1575 | 2771 | 2277 |
| Scotland | 675 | 570 | 809 | 650 | 471 | 792 | 531 | 749 | 790 | 632 |
| Ireland | 750 | 734 | 716 | 544 | 661 | 634 | 625 | 898 | 608 | |
| Ontario | 431 | 402 | 414 | 274 | 343 | 435 | 580 | 504 | 590 | |
| British Columbia | 455 | 225 | 370 | 375 | 272 | 191 | 547 | |||
| Quebec | 601 | 337 | 296 | 226 | 161 | 230 | 219 | 296 | 182 | 208 |
| France | 387 | 311 | 270 | 264 | 257 | 196 | 167 | 126 | 119 | 130 |
| The Netherlands | 12 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 22 | 27 | |
| Austria | 603 | 312 | 373 | 336 | 297 | 314 | 314 | 232 | 237 | 279 |
| Switzerland | 141 | 106 | 120 | 94 | 79 | 74 | 69 | 83 | 56 | 67 |
| Berlin | 148 | 113 | 88 | 110 | 109 | 106 | 94 | 107 | ||
| Munich | 160 | 151 | 158 | 149 | 159 | 115 | 157 | 101 | 194 | 86 |
| Cologne | 116 | 75 | 84 | 114 | 94 | 63 | 83 | 74 | ||
| Bonn | 81 | 93 | 85 | 90 | 237 | 186 | 78 | 89 | 66 | 65 |
| Leipzig | 152 | 193 | 148 | 186 | 265 | 117 | 129 | 50 | 63 | 77 |
| Rostock | 105 | 143 | 202 | 78 | 202 | 133 | 50 | 35 | 49 | 46 |
| Norway | 64 | 54 | 71 | 59 | 77 | 86 | 82 | 65 | 72 | 73 |
| Sweden | 32 | 34 | 45 | 43 | 41 | 36 | 48 | 49 | 55 | 48 |
| Denmark | 36 | 40 | 39 | 38 | 41 | 37 | 41 | 44 | 41 | 43 |
| Catalonia | 541 | 528 | 343 | 407 | 373 | 628 | 289 | 400 | 381 | 348 |
| Italy | 1025 | 839 | 884 | |||||||
| Israel | 262 | 151 | 107 | 111 | 81 | 78 | 59 | 54 | 52 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2277 | 12 | 4.7 |
| 2024 | 2771 | 9 | 3.5 |
| 2023 | 1575 | 19 | 7.4 |
| 2022 | 1245 | 26 | 9.9 |
| 2021 | 1569 | 19 | 6.9 |
| 2020 | 1127 | 29 | 10.8 |
| 2019 | 1439 | 21 | 7.5 |
| 2018 | 1170 | 29 | 10.1 |
| 2017 | 1733 | 17 | 5.7 |
| 2016 | 1416 | 23 | 7.5 |
| 2015 | 1088 | 32 | 10.4 |
| 2014 | 1234 | 27 | 8.8 |
| 2013 | 1639 | 18 | 5.8 |
| 2012 | 1387 | 23 | 7.1 |
| 2011 | 1117 | 30 | 9.3 |
| 2010 | 1584 | 18 | 5.6 |
| 2009 | 1752 | 15 | 4.8 |
| 2008 | 1247 | 23 | 7.3 |
| 2007 | 1573 | 16 | 5.2 |
| 2006 | 2137 | 10 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 1796 | 12 | 4.2 |
| 2004 | 1836 | 11 | 3.8 |
| 2003 | 2727 | 6 | 2.2 |
| 2002 | 2105 | 8 | 3.0 |
| 2000 | 3912 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 1996 | 3795 | 3 | 1.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Liv in France since 1925 were born in or after 2020. First recorded in 1975. Her peak year there: 2024, at 146.4 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Liv per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2024 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Liv
1 in 3,018 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 852 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 1,627 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 581 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 4,690 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 1,112 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 1,195 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Liv.
1 in 1,689 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Liv. Same first letter as Liv.
1 in 320 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Liv.
Middle names for Liv
1 in 71 in Scotland
Liv Olivia
1-4 beats · initials LO
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Liv Charlotte
1-2 beats · initials LC
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Liv Emily
1-3 beats · initials LE
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Liv Sophie
1-2 beats · initials LS
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Liv Anna
1-2 beats · initials LA
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Liv Emma
1-2 beats · initials LE
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Liv Alice
1-2 beats · initials LA
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Liv Maria
1-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Liv: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Liv
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,195 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
90% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 1,627 in Scotland
90% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 1,112 in Ireland
90% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 3,166 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 3,578 in Scotland
89% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
88% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
1 in 2,347 in Ireland
88% alike: moves with Liv across countries and decades.
Famous people named Liv
Liv Tyler, Liv Ullmann, Liv Lisa Fries, Liv Kristine, Liv Grete Skjelbreid, Liv Morgan, Liv Boeree and Liv Strömquist.
Show all 8Show less
-
American actress (born 1977)
-
Norwegian actress, director, and screenwriter (born 1938)
-
German actress born 1990
-
Norwegian singer born 1976
-
Norwegian biathlete born 1974
-
American professional wrestler born 1994
-
British model and poker player born 1984
-
Swedish comic artist born 1978
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Liv
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Liv?
Her best rank is No. 27 in the Netherlands in 2025, about 1 in 170 girls. She is in the published lists of 21 of our 40 regions.
What does Liv mean?
Wiktionary glosses Liv as "defense, protection".
How do you pronounce Liv?
LIV, with 1 syllable.
Is Liv getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 7 of 19 regions, falling in 3.
Which sister names go with Liv?
The deck's top five sisters for Liv: Dalia, Arya, Yara, Aisha and Jana. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.