Liv

Did you know?

A few things about Liv you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Liv

Liv Lisa Fries

German actress

Choose Liv and your child shares a first name with Liv Lisa Fries, a German actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Liv, like who?” Liv Lisa Fries's Wikipedia article is available in 29 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Liv Lisa Fries on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Krd, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 5,429 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Liv, 296 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Liv would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLiv first shows up in US birth records in 1956, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 69 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2020, when it reached #666.
• 📈Then vs nowLiv is 9.3× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 50,505 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 5,429.
• 🍂TrendLiv has slipped 229 places over the last five years and now sits at #895. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedLiv is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #408, followed by Connecticut (#459) and Washington (#617). It's in the top 1,000 in 13 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Old Norse, Liv means “protection”. Our records link it to Hebrew, Latin and Norwegian roots.
• 🌍OriginLiv is the #4 most popular Norwegian girl name in the US. That's out of 18 Norwegian girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Liv

Liv is a girl name of Hebrew, Latin and Norwegian origin meaning “protection”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with L and ending in “-liv”. US birth records list Liv for girls from 1956 to 2025, in 53 of those 70 years. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked #666 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #895, with 296 babies.

Origin:Hebrew namesLatin namesNorwegian namesOld Norse namesScandinavian names